


Love is Patient

by DevotedtoDean4964



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kidnapping, Minor Violence, Non-Consensual Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 55,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevotedtoDean4964/pseuds/DevotedtoDean4964
Summary: When Sam and Dean need help organizing the bunker's files and artifacts, they decide the best plan is to kidnap an unsuspecting grad student but get more than they bargained for.
Relationships: Dean Winchester/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the rights to the Supernatural series or any of their characters.
> 
> This is my first attempt at writing fanfic, so I would appreciate any comments. This story is the first in a trilogy, but this is the only story that is complete. I will update every week with 5 chapters at a time. Thanks.

Chapter:1 

It had been a few months since Dean had taken the Mark of Cain. Sam had thrown himself into trying to find a cure for the mark. He had spent almost every waking hour sorting through various documents; none of them categorized and now it seemed to all blur together. Every file looked the same or the information was too outdated, he guessed that was one of the cons of having information from people who lived over thousands of years ago. Thus how they ended up here, one night after complaining to Dean about how none of the files they had were organized. Dean had suggested they get an assistant like in Ghostbusters. Sam had then scoured the internet for someone nearby who had at least some basic knowledge about the supernatural. He hadn’t found much until he stumbled upon an article about a freak Wolf attack 19 years ago that killed a university professor’s wife and daughter leaving him a widowed single father. He then did some research on the dad finding that he was a Religious Studies professor and was working nearby at North Central Kansas College in Beloit, Kansas which wasn’t too far from where they were now. Maybe he could help him organize the files and find a way to help cure Dean. Early the next morning, Sam left Dean a note that he would be back later that evening. It had taken him a little over half an hour to get to the campus, fortunately, he had gotten there at the tail end of the professor’s last class waiting until the last student left to talk to the man.  
“ Professor Morgan?” Sam said stepping forward to the older man seated on the edge of his desk. 

“Yes.” The professor stood as Sam extended his arm and shook hands.

“I’m Sam Winchester.”

“Hello, Sam. What can I do for you?”

“I’m wondering what you can tell me about the Mark Of Cain?” 

“The literal mark or how Cain was marked by God?” the professor asked. His curiosity was piqued by such an unusual question.

“Honestly anything that you can tell me,” Sam replied. Dr. Morgan turned and collected his belongings, stuffing them into his briefcase.

“Let’s head to my office down the hall. I have some books that I can reference.” 

Dr. Morgan then led Sam into his office and offered him a seat as he placed his briefcase on his desk. He then plucked 2 hardbound books from the bookshelf and then sat and began to thumb through the first book. “I’m assuming you know the Bible story about Cain and Abel?”

“Yessir. Cain killed his brother Abel because God accepted his brother’s sacrifice over his own.” Sam added as a small smile passed his lips.  
“That’s correct. God placed a mark on Cain as a protection and a warning to anyone that would try to kill him for taking his brother’s life.” Dr. Morgan stopped on a page and held it out to Sam.  
“Here’s a picture of the Mark.” 

Sam looked at the picture. It was exactly the same as the mark that now was on Dean’s arm.

“So it was like a tattoo saying “don’t mess with this guy”?” asked Sam.

Morgan chuckled “Not quite Sam.” “It actually meant “fugitive and wanderer”. God banished Cain and he lived a nomadic-lifestyle for the rest of his days. God’s punishment for his sin but also divine protection to anyone that tried to kill Cain. Their punishment would be 7 times greater than Cain’s. 

“So what happened to Cain? Was he killed by anyone or did he just live a long life?” 

“There are only a few mentions of Cain again but nothing detailing how long he lived or how he died. We do know that he had children who are mentioned later. In fact, Noah’s wife was a descendant of Cain.”

Sam looks puzzled and wonders to himself how he can find out more about the mark and what affects it will have on his brother.

“Sam? Sam, are you okay?” Dr. Morgan asks.

Sam jerks his attention back to the professor. “Yes, I’m fine. Would it be possible for you to look over some documents and files that I have on this subject?”

“As much as I would love to, between classes and my own research I’m swamped .” Sam frowned worry lines creasing onto his face. “But I do know of someone who can help you. My daughter is an expert in this field. She knows almost as much as me maybe even more .” Dr. Morgan began shuffling through his desk grabbing out a pen and a sticky note handing it to Sam.  
“If you write down your number I’ll give it to her and she can call you .” 

“Th-That would be great. What’s her name if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“Her name is Diana. “ 

Sam nodded thanking the professor before he started to head back to the bunker.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter:2

Diana Morgan had just submitted her doctoral dissertation thesis to her Senior Faculty advisor and she exhaled slowly as she closed her laptop. It took her almost 15 minutes to hit send on the email. This process had just consumed a year and a half of her life. It had required her to turn down dates, miss multiple girl’s nights out with her 3 closest friends, and forget about watching TV or renting a movie. This thesis would make her dream’s ‘or was it her father’s dream’ come true in a few short months if approved and then successfully defended. If not, then she would reassess and then come up with a new plan. Diana stood up and stretched moving her arms above her head. She realized that she suddenly felt hungry and hadn’t eaten all day, driven by her determination to complete her closing summary and make the deadline her advisor had imposed on her a month ago. She went into her small kitchen and made herself a chicken salad sandwich and grabbed a bag of potato chips. She also got a cold beer from the fridge. She brought her plate and beer back to the couch, sat down and grabbed the TV remote from the end table. As she was about to take a bite, her cellphone rang. She sighed as she grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID. “Hi, Dad. What’s up? It’s not Sunday night.” she said.

“I know but just because we chat every Sunday night doesn’t mean a father can’t call to check in with his daughter, right?” he replied.

“Yep. So what’s on your mind?”

“How’s the thesis going? Are you going to make the dead-”

“Submitted about 30 minutes ago Dad! So you just called to check up on me and to make sure I got my thesis in on time! Dad, why can’t you trust me to take care of my own life?” Diana spat out all too quickly. She wished she could take the words and her tone back when there was an awkward silence from her dad. “Sorry.”

“Diana, I was just curious and thought I would ask. I knew you would get it done and 3 hours ahead of the deadline I might add.” 

“OK. It feels so good to have it submitted. I just hope that I can chill out for a few months and not obsess about their decision. How did you get through it - waiting I mean?” she asked.

“Honey, I was already a grad assistant with 2 classes and a new wife. I didn’t have time to sit and worry about it.”

“Well, I don’t really have anything else now to occupy my time. Maybe I’ll finally get around to watching Game of Thrones to see what all the fuss is about,” she said.

“Well, that’s actually why I was calling. I had a conversation with a young man recently who was looking for some help deciphering some old files. He was asking about the Mark of Cain.”

“Is he one of your students?”  
“No. I don’t think he is a student, at least not at Central. He seemed older than the typical student but he was very intelligent. asked some really good questions. I told him I didn’t have time to look over the files but offered that maybe my daughter could help.”

“Oh, Dad. I don’t know.”

“He’s a good looking fellow. And tall!” he added quickly.

“Dad!” So now you’re trying to micromanage my love life!” she said exasperated.

“No of course not. You could just meet the guy, look over the files, and answer his questions.”

“And that’s all he wanted?” Diana asked suspiciously.

“That’s all he said. But if you two hit it off well then where’s the harm in that?” he said.

“You’re impossible! What’s his name and number?” she asked resigned to doing her dad a favor.

“Sam Winchester. I’ll text you his number.”

They chatted for a few more minutes and then hung up. She really did love her dad but sometimes she felt like he still saw her as a little girl. In need of protection from the big bad world. In fact, he had already done that 19 years ago.

\-----------------

\---2 months later ---  
Sam was distraught Dean had given up and let the mark take over, which had led to him killing an innocent kid, granted the kid was from a family of monsters but still the kid had never hurt anyone and from what Castiel had said he didn’t want to. Sam thought back to all the times that Dean had killed the monsters just because they were monsters: Amy, Ruby ‘she actually deserved it’, the werewolf sisters ‘actually one of them got away’, and Madison ‘wait, Sam had been forced to kill her’. Sam hung his head as those memories flooded back to him. He shook his head and then knew he had to find a way to help his brother. Sam knew he needed help. He called Dr. Morgan and asked him if he had talked to his daughter. He had and was surprised to hear that she hadn’t contacted Sam yet. He promised to reach out to her again and remind her to call him. 

Dean had left leaving a note for Sam saying just let me go. Sam couldn’t do that. He was the only family he had left. Sometimes they disagreed, fought it out, and then eventually forgave each other but that’s what you do when you love someone. Sam had made a deal with Rowena. She would find a spell that could break the curse of the Mark and in exchange, she asked Sam to kill Crowley. Rowena had the Book of the Damned and the Codex, which was like a secret decoder to help her read the spells in the book. Rowena figured out that the spell called for 3 things:  
Something made by God but forbidden to man - the fruit from the tree.  
Something made by man but forbidden by God - the golden calf that the Israelites worshipped in the desert.  
Her Heart - not literally but the person casting the spell had to sacrifice the only thing that they had ever loved. 

Rowena said that was useless because she had never loved anything or anybody in her whole life. Sam asked about her son Crowley but she blew him off saying why would I want you to kill him then. Sam and Castiel didn’t believe her and Cas took it upon himself to read her mind. When he touched his fingers to Rowena’s forehead, he saw her thoughts were on a young boy that she called Oscar. Cas decided that he would find Crowley and ask him for help. Crowley knew where to find the items needed and agreed to help Castiel and Sam.

\-----------------

Dean had summoned Death to a rundown Mexican restaurant. He had prepared his favorite Mexican foods like taquitos, queso, and nachos for the Grim Reaper’s pleasure. He wanted to ask Death to kill him. Death saw the Mark of Cain on Dean’s arm and now knew why Dean had made such a request. Death explained that he couldn’t do that but made a counteroffer. Death would help him transfer the mark to another person but Dean refused to put someone else through his personal hell of the last 6 months. So Death proposed to relocate Dean to a place where he would be alive but could no longer hurt anyone. Of course, the catch would be that Dean would have to kill his brother Sam. Dean finally agrees and calls Sam telling him where he is. Sam rushes to the restaurant to talk to Dean. Sam tries to convince Dean that he is still a good person and that he can fight the mark. Dean knows what he has to do and he punches Sam. Sam punches Dean back and they fight until Dean overpowers his younger brother forcing Sam to give up. Death hands Dean his scythe in which to use to kill Sam. Dean tells Sam to close his eyes but first Sam reminds Dean about what’s important - family. He pulls out the photos of himself and their mom, Mary. He tells Dean when one day you find your way back, to let these be your guide. They’ll help you to remember what it was like to be good and what it was like to love. Death tells Dean that he is a stain on his family’s memory and tells him to kill Sam or he will do it! Sam blinks back tears as Dean asks him to forgive him. Sam awaits the killing blow that is to come but instead, Dean swings the scythe over Sam’s head and right into the middle of Death. Sam and Dean watch in amazement and horror as Death disintegrates into ashes falling to the floor. 

\----------------

Crowley suddenly appears at the site where Castiel and Rowena are preparing the spell. He hands over the first 2 items and Rowena quickly preps them for the bowl. The 3rd item slowly enters the room and walks up to Rowena. She instantly recognizes Oscar and tears form in her eyes. She hugs the man and then as she pulls away plunges a metal straw into his neck. He gasps and she directs his head down toward the bowl as his blood gushes out. Her tears are flowing steadily now but she recovers and begins to chant the words of the spell. The contents of the bowl swirl and change color and then give off an unseen force that blasts them all off of their feet. Suddenly a lightning bolt shoots upward out of the bowl through the roof.

\---------------

Dean helps Sam up and asks him if he’s OK. Before he can answer, the lightning bolt comes through the roof and shoots directly into the mark. It sizzles and Dean winces in pain. Then the lightning bolt travels directly into the sky. Sam rushes to Dean as he is staring at his arm. It’s gone! The Mark of Cain has vanished and there isn’t even a lingering outline. The boys rush outside in time to see that the sky has changed from clear blue to pale pink. Then several lightning bolts release from the sky striking the ground. Immediately the earth begins to shake and rumble and then the ground bursts forth with plumes of black smoke. From several spots, the black smoke rises collecting in one location making it grow into a huge plume. It resembles a storm cloud but made entirely of black smoke and its approaching Sam and Dean. The brothers run toward the Impala and jump in. Dean starts the engine and throws it into reverse. They look up to see the giant smoke cloud advancing on them. Dean stomps the gas pedal and the front tires squeal against the dirt but the car doesn’t move. The driver’s side rear tire is stuck in a huge mud hole and the tire just spins down deeper. Sam and Dean look at each other in silence and then back at the black, smoke cloud. The wind roars violently as the smoke cloud consumes the Impala.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter:3

Diana awoke peacefully as she has done for the last several months since submitting her thesis for review. No longer needing to set her alarm felt good and she had been able to get a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom. She took a hot shower and shaved her legs and underarms. She turned off the water and got out of the shower. She grabbed the towel and dried her hair and then her body. She pulled on her fuzzy robe that she had hanging on the bathroom door hook. It felt warm and comfortable on her skin. She combed her wet hair and then brushed her teeth. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided to wait until later to put on make-up. As she left the bathroom, she heard her phone ringing. She went to the nightstand beside her bed and took the phone off the charger and hit the button.

“Hello.”

“Hi, honey. It’s Dad.”

“Hi, Dad. What’s up?” Diana said as she settled down on the bed.  
“I wondered if you had ever called that Sam guy. He called me about a week ago and said that you still hadn’t called him. I texted you to remind you but you never responded back. Did you call him?”

“No, I didn’t. Dad I really don’t want to meet some stranger to look over his collection of files. And the fact that you think he might be a potential love interest for me, makes me REALLY not want to call him.”

“Diana, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm. I just worry about you and I thought maybe you could get out and make a new friend. You’ve been cooped up alone in your apartment working so hard on your thesis.”

There was a long pause and then finally Diana spoke. “OK, I’ll call him, but he probably has already gotten someone else to help him.”

“You promise? You’ll call Sam?”

“Yes, Dad. I will. In fact, I’ll call as soon as we hang up.” 

“That’s great honey. I bet you’ll enjoy meeting him and talking over the files.”

“I’m sure I will. It will be a new adventure” Diana said sarcastically doubting that her father would even notice. “I hope I still have his number. Gotta look for it.”

“I have it right here. It’s 785-”

“Just text me the number dad. I just finished my shower and need to get dressed.”

“Will do and I expect you to call me and let me know how it went.” her dad said hopefully.

“I will but on Sunday for our usual talks. OK, dad?”

“OK. Well, gotta get to class. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

Diana hung up and then collapsed back on the bed with a sigh. Fathers! When you’re young, they want you to stay their little girl forever. Then in your teens you want to explore new things, meet new people and go on dates, but that’s when they really get overprotective. Then when you’re in college, you get a break from him. You can do what you want, when you want, and with whoever you want. He still asks questions about what you’re doing and with whom, but you don’t feel the need to answer him. Now that you’re an adult living on your own and making your own plans, he’s not satisfied and wants to help you with that by telling you who to date, when, and what you should do with the rest of your life. Maybe you don’t want to be a college professor like him. Maybe you want to be an elementary school teacher like you first thought when you were a kid, or a veterinarian taking care of sick animals. That thought stops you and you feel the memory start to come back. NO! Not going there in your mind. Diana jumps up and runs back into the bathroom. She runs water in the sink and cups her hands to splash water on her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, she wills the thought away and steadies her breathing again. She goes back to the bed and picks up her phone. She has a text message from her dad.

“OK let’s get this over with,” she says as she gets the number and then dials.  
Maybe you can just leave a message since 2 rings have gone by and no answer.

“Hello?” Sam says not recognizing the number.

“Is this Sam Winchester?”

“Yes. Who's calling?” Sam asked.

“My name is Diana Morgan. You met with my father several months ago at North Central.”

“Yes. I remember.”

“He said you had some files that you wanted someone to look at. You’ve probably already found someone else -” Diana asked hopefully.

“No, actually I haven’t. I’ve been, uh, out of town on work and just got back yesterday. Would you still be interested in meeting with me to look over some of my files?”

“Yes, sure. That’s why I was calling. When do you want to meet?”

“As soon as possible. Tonight if you’re available?” 

“Uhm, yeah. I can do that. Where and what time?”

“Do you know Vinnie’s Italian Restaurant on 3rd Street in Lebanon? I’ll spring for dinner and we can look over the documents.” Sam said enthusiastically. 

“Yes, I know it. It’s one of my favorite places.”

“So you live close by? I just assumed you lived near the campus.”

“No. I moved to Lebanon about 2 years ago once I finished all my grad courses. I needed to get away and work on my dissertation which is what I’ve been busy doing since.”

“Great. I’ll see you around 7:00?”

“Works for me.”

“I’ll tell the hostess my name and that I am expecting you to join me.”

“OK. See you then.” 

Diana hung up and wondered what Sam looked like other than being tall. His voice sounded rich and comforting, actually soothing like a warm blanket on a cold day. She got up and got dressed in her most comfy jeans and an old Kansas sweatshirt. Then standing in front of her closet, she decided to go ahead and pick out what she would wear tonight. It wasn’t really a date but she thought I might as well make a good impression. She chose a red dress and matched it with a red and black plaid scarf and her black pumps. Done. 

\---------------------

Sam hung up and was excited and hopeful about the meeting tonight. He needed someone experienced in doing research, able to decipher foreign languages like Hebrew or Aramaic, and someone knowledgeable about the Bible. Dr. Morgan said that his daughter knew everything that he did maybe even more. She could be a huge help in finding out about the Darkness and how they would be able to defeat it or lock it away again.

“Dean!” Sam yelled. “Dean, come here!”

Dean came running into the library from the kitchen. His mouth was full of leftover pizza from last night. “Wha?” he mumbled.

“I just spoke to Diana Morgan. That professor’s daughter that I told you about. She’s going to meet with me tonight.”

“Way to go Sammy! Be sure to take some protection,” he said, turning to go back to the kitchen.

“No Dean wait. Not like a date! I contacted her dad trying to find a cure for you with the Mark of Cain.”

“Don’t need that anymore Sammie. Remember?”, Dean said raising his arm.

“I know but now we have an even bigger problem with the Darkness. Maybe she can help us figure out how to defeat it.”

“Sam, what’s the first rule of the family business? Don’t tell anyone about what we do!”  
“But I can just ask general questions and see what she knows about the Darkness. She also might be able to help us out around here with all of our files, books, collection of artifacts?” Sam was practically giddy with excitement. 

“Sam you can’t tell her about the Men of Letters and our Supernatural collection of all things weird,” Dean said.

“I know but remember how we said that we needed to go through all this stuff and catalog it so that we can find something quickly whenever we have new cases. She could help us with that.”

“And you think she’ll just jump at the chance to come to look at your etchings? Sam, she’s a grad student. I’m sure she’s way too intelligent to follow you back here. And even if she can’t resist your charms, we can’t let her come here.”

“Well then, maybe we won’t give her a choice,” Sam said coldly. He had already planned what to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
Warning: contains kidnapping and Non-con drug use 

Diana decided to call an Uber instead of taking her car to the restaurant. She also decided to bring her laptop along in case she needed to reference it to better assist in answering Sam’s questions. She arrived at Vinnie’s at around 6:50 pm. She hated being late for anything. She paid the driver and got her laptop case and purse and stepped out into the cool autumn air. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then entered the restaurant. The hostess greeted her and asked how many. She gave her name and said that Sam Winchester was expecting her. 

“Right this way.” the hostess said and turned leading you to a cozy corner table where a man was already seated. Diana came around and was now facing the man.

“Sam?” 

Sam immediately rose and reached out his hand. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”  
MY GOD! He is tall and handsome. You had to concentrate on what to say next.

“Likewise,” Diana said as she shook his hand and then settled into the seat across from him.  
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” Diana added. “I hate being late so I am always early.”

“Same here but no, I just got here myself. I also thought they might be crowded on a Friday night.” Sam said smiling.

“So you have some files that you want me to look-”  
Sam interrupted her suddenly. “Diana, can we just get to know each other a little before we get down to business? Is that alright?” Sam smiled and looked straight into your eyes. You swallow and then say “Sure, that’s fine.”

“So tell me about yourself. I’ve met your father and he’s a nice man. What about your mom?”

Diana seemed shocked that he would ask but quickly recovered. “She died when I was 8. It’s been me and my dad ever since.”

“Any brothers or sisters?” Again you had to concentrate.

“Nope. I’m an only child.” Diana lied. 

At that moment, the waitress came to take their order. Diana ordered the chicken piccata with a glass of red wine. Sam thought that sounded good and ordered the same.

“Sam. So tell me a little bit about you.”

“Not much to tell. My mom died in a house fire when I was a baby. My dad handed me to my big brother, Dean and told him to get out of the house. My dad tried to save her but the flames were too intense.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. After that, we traveled around a lot. My dad got work as a mechanic and Dean and I would go to school. Until my dad would get drunk and lose his job and then we were off to the next town.”

“So your dad was an alcoholic?”

“I don’t know. It’s just how he coped with mom’s death. Yeah, I guess he was,”

“Was? So he’s not alive now?”

“No. He died 9 years ago. Heart attack.”

“Sorry again.” Diana took a sip of her wine. “So what about your brother? What does he do?”

“He loves cars just like dad did, so he’s a mechanic too.”

“Good to know. Sometimes my car acts up. It’ll be good to have a trustworthy mechanic.”  
Sam laughed. 

“I wouldn’t exactly call Dean trustworthy.”

Their meals arrived and they ate and talked. The conversation was light and they seemed to be enjoying each other’s company.

“So Sam. Would now be a good time to discuss the documents or do you have more questions?”

“I will probably have more questions but we can get started. My grandfather died last year and left Dean and me his estate. It’s a large home with lots of land. He collected old and rare artifacts, mostly of a spiritual nature. We were hoping that you would be willing to come out to the house and look at his collection. Mostly so that we would have an idea of how much everything is worth.”

“Wow! Sounds interesting. I doubt if I could put a price on the items but I would like to see them sometime.”

“Great! What languages do you speak? Some of the items are in Hebrew or Aramaic.”

Diana smiled. “I speak and read both including some Greek. Dad insisted that I learn them. I even took Latin in high school.”

“Awesome! Sounds like you are just the person we need.”

“Sam. Will you excuse me? I’m going to the ladies' room.” Diana said getting up from her chair.

“Of course,” he said, rising like the perfect gentleman. As Sam watched Diana walk away, he sat back down. He looked toward the bar where Dean was drinking a beer. He gave him a nod and then took out the pill from his pocket, crushed it and put it in Diana’s wine glass. He swirled it around and then set it back down on the table.  
When Diana returned, they finished eating and drinking and talked more about current events, movies they had seen, and favorite sport’s teams. Sam seemed surprised that she enjoyed watching sports since she was obviously intelligent. Diana yawned and Sam took notice.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. It’s definitely not the company or the conversation,” she said smiling.

“No problem.” Sam looked at his watch and they had been talking for an hour. “It’s getting late so I probably need to let you go. When can you come out to look at our collection?”

“Anytime that’s convenient for you. I’ve got lots of free time now until I hear back from my advisor.”

“OK. Well, do you have any plans tomorrow or Sunday?”  
“I think I can work something out for tomorrow afternoon. Send me the address and I’ll come out.” Diana said. She was looking forward to seeing the collection and getting to see Sam again.  
Diana stood up and immediately felt dizzy. She planted her hands on the table to steady herself.  
Sam quickly came over and wrapped one arm around your waist. 

“Are you OK?”

“I just got up too quickly. Or that wine was stronger than I thought.” Diana laughed a little too loud and she noticed people at the next table look her way. Sam bent down and picked up your laptop case and took your purse from the back of your chair. He started helping you walk toward the exit as if you were drunk. That came on fast you thought. I only had 2 glasses of wine. Usually, it takes at least 3 to make you feel a soft buzz. You noticed how strong Sam’s arms were as he supported you and you held onto him so that you wouldn’t fall. Your legs felt like cement blocks that wouldn’t work anymore. Outside walking through the parking lot, you noticed a slightly shorter man than Sam leaning against a black car grinning at you. That was the last thing you saw before everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

Diana slowly opened her eyes. Her throbbing headache is her first reminder of last night. The room is totally dark as she attempts to look around. She’s lying on a bed, fully clothed, with a blanket over her. She raises up on one elbow and feels the room starting to spin. She lays back until the motion stops. She remembers meeting a man at Vinnie’s, but what was his name. She couldn’t remember. She tries to sit up again but takes it slow. She feels her arms and legs but there is no pain so she wasn’t beaten. There was no pain in her pubic and thigh area so she wasn’t raped. Thank God! But where was she. Even though it was dark, she knew she wasn’t in her apartment. Her bare feet touched the floor and it was cold and felt like concrete. She had been kidnapped! She tried to fight the fear now rising up in her and making her heart beat faster. Think Diana! Stay calm and breathe. Where’s your phone and laptop? She felt around the bed and on the floor but there was nothing. At least she wasn’t tied down to the bed. She stood up and the room started to spin again causing her to fall. She stayed down on the cold floor for a few minutes before getting onto her hands and knees. She would explore the room by crawling. There was a desk beside the bed with a lamp. She found the switch and clicked it on but the brightness hurt her eyes. She clicked it back off. She crawled forward reaching out and touched a large piece of furniture, a dresser. She continued on and found a door. She reached the handle and turned and it eased open. No light came through and she realized it was a closet. She closed the door and felt her way around the dresser to the wall behind. She made her way along the wall until she saw a small sliver of light. This must be the bedroom door. She tried the knob but it was locked. Great! She tried to listen to hear any voices or noises but there weren’t any. She moved on past the door and felt a pipe and a sink. She got up holding onto the sink. She turned the faucet and cupped her hands to splash water onto her face. She then brought some water to her lips and drank. She then reached and found a towel to wipe her hands and face. She decided to try to make it back to the bed by walking and banged into the desk. Shit! She hit her big toe on the leg of the desk. She ran her fingers along the front of the desk, finding the top drawer and opening it. She felt for a pen, pencil, or anything she could use as a weapon. Nothing! She got back down and made her way back to the bed. Just as she sat down, she heard someone unlocking the bedroom door. She froze in fear! As the door opened and light flooded into the doorway, she could see the outline of a male figure. His face was shadowed and he just stood there staring at you.

“You hungry?” he said with a deep, rough voice. Diana knew this wasn’t the man she met last night by his body type and voice.

“No.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“My freedom. Why are you doing this to me?” Diana could feel the anger bubbling up inside her.

“All will be explained soon, sweetheart.”

“I’m not your sweetheart!” The man turned to leave. “Wait! I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Can you walk?”

Diana didn’t want to tell him that she was dizzy and had fallen and crawled around the room exploring. 

“Of course I can. I’m not a child!” she spat out at him standing up but felt the room tilt and knew she was going down again. The man caught her before she hit the floor. Diana didn’t want him touching her but she knew she couldn’t walk on her own. Her captor put his arm around her waist and she slowly put her arm around his broad, muscular shoulders. He assisted her out of the room and down a short hallway to a huge shower room and individual bathroom stalls. The light still hurt her eyes but she forced herself to keep them open so that she could possibly see her surroundings. He led her to one of the stalls and she reached for the small door. 

“Can I have some privacy or are you going to get your freaking peep on?”

“I’ll wait outside the door.” He turned and walked out of the huge bathroom.

Diana pulled the latch and swung the door open and practically fell onto the toilet seat. She peed quickly and sat there trying to figure out what the man meant when he said all would be explained soon. Who were these people holding her? Why hadn’t they assaulted or abused her while she was incapacitated? Were they waiting until all the effects of the drugs were out of her system? She knew she had been roofied. She had listened to the safety speech during her freshman orientation and memorized the signs and symptoms. Unfortunately, she forgot rule number 1 - Never leave your drink unattended. But she technically hadn’t done that. She had trusted someone that she had just met.

“You done?” he called out.

“Yeah sure.” You stood up, wiped and flushed and then opened the stall door. You had regained your balance and now took some steps on your own. The man came toward you to help but you put your hand up. 

“I’m fine now. Don’t touch me!” You walked to the bank of sinks to wash your hands. His eyes were still watching your every move. You walk past him out the door and then look down the hallway. You turn to the left to walk toward your room.

“Wrong way sweetie.”

You turn around and walk back to the open doorway and notice a number on the door, #14. How many rooms were in this place? This must be an underground bunker of some kind, which explained the concrete floors and the community shower room and bathrooms. You wondered if there were other victims here. You stepped back inside the room and watched as he closed the door and then you heard the lock click. You made your way back to the bed and laid down. The tears start to flow down your cheeks until you drift off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dean came back into the library to find Sam at one of the tables on his laptop.   
“She is a feisty thing. I like her. She’s been kidnapped. She’s got to be scared but she’s not showing any fear.” Dean said.

“I know. I like her too. If we didn’t need her help, I could imagine last night ending with a much nicer scenario.”

“In your dreams Sammie,” Dean says with a smirk. 

“Oh come on. I got her to agree to meet up with me the next day. Oh, she was interested alright!”

“Not anymore. She’s really gonna be mad at you because she trusted you.”

“I know, and I will try to explain it to her but she may refuse to help us now. I don’t want to resort to force.”

“But we may have to, or threaten her or her father, to get her to cooperate,” Dean said.  
Sam looked up at his brother. By the look on Dean’s face, Sam knew he meant it and would do what had to be done. 

\------------------

The dream was always the same. A replay of the attack from her childhood. Diana’s family was on a camping trip in the Split Rock Creek State Park Campground. It was the last family vacation before school started again. Diana and her father were fishing while her mom and little sister were at the campsite. Diana caught 2 fish and her father had caught 3. They were walking along the trail, smiling and laughing when they heard screams up ahead. 

“Stay right here. I’ll be back for you,” he said before dropping the fishing gear and running off toward the campsite. Diana was scared; she could still hear the screams and now was alone. She was also scared for her father’s safety. She decided to follow her father; slowly at first but then she increased her pace until she was running as fast she could. When she approached their campsite, she saw her mother and little sister laying on the ground. There was blood on their necks and down their chest and stomachs. A huge black wolf was standing over her father ready to tear into his flesh. She screamed from the sight of it all and the wolf turned its head toward you. You froze in fear as the wolf was slowly advancing on you now. 

“DIANA RUN!” your father shouted.  
You ran for the cover of a tree and then tried to climb as fast as you could. You got about 2 feet off the ground and was reaching for the next branch when you felt the sharp pain of wolf fangs dig into your right calf just above the ankle. You screamed again and tried to fling the beast loose but it dragged you to the ground. You looked up and the wolf had released you but was circling you as its prey. You knew you were going to be mauled just like your mother and sister. You were crying and praying silently that it would be over soon. Daddy had said that when you die, the angels take you to Heaven, which is a beautiful place where God lives. You knew your mom and sister were there and you wanted to be with them. Your eyes were squeezed shut but when you heard the shotgun blast, they flew open. The wolf now lay dead at your feet and there was a man with a rifle still aimed at the beast. 

“Are you OK honey?” he said, lowering the gun and approaching you. He knelt down and saw your wound. He reached into his back pocket and drew out a handkerchief, and wrapped it around your leg. It stung but you just looked up into this man’s blue eyes. He was being so kind and gentle. Your dad ran up and knelt down and grabbed your shoulders lifting you up onto his lap, hugging you, and kissing your forehead and cheek. 

“Baby girl. You’re OK. It’s going to be OK.” he said reassuring you. “Thank you so much for saving my little girl.”

“We’re not safe yet. Wolves travel in packs so there are more around. Come on. Let’s get out of here.” the man said getting up and grabbing his gun. Your father lifted you up and carried you, following the man out of the woods towards the campgrounds parking lot. You all loaded into his truck and he started the engine. The man drove in silence while your father rocked you gently until you fell asleep. 

\------------

Diana awoke suddenly as 2 men were standing over her. One on each side of the bed and the one from earlier had his hand on your arm. You realized who it was and pulled your arm away from him. 

“Get away from me!” you shouted. Dean seemed surprised that your anger came so suddenly after waking from a nightmare.

“Sorry. Just thought you were dying from all the screaming,” he said taking a step back.

“Diana?” Sam said. You turned to see the other man staring down at you. It startled you but you realized it was him, Sam! The man from last night who was so nice and sweet, but now you realized that he was your kidnapper. Acting on impulse, and with all of your strength, you slapped him across the face. You heard the smack and it burnt your hand so you knew it had to hurt him. Sam stumbled backward but didn’t fall.

“YOU BASTARD!” you spat at him. You could hear the other man chuckling now but your eyes were focused on Sam. Sam hung his head briefly but then looked up at you.

“I deserved that. I’m sorry Diana but we didn’t know any other way.”

“Other way for what? Fulfilling some kinky fantasy for you and your -” Realization sunk in and you looked back at the other man, now knowing this must be Dean. “brother.”

“Dean Winchester.” He said smiling. It wasn’t a pleasant smile like when you first meet someone, but more like a tease.   
You looked back at Sam now waiting for an explanation.

“So what then? Why did you kidnap me?”

“We’ll tell you everything but not here. Come with us.” Sam said so softly that you almost didn’t hear him. You got up off the bed and followed Sam out into the hallway. Dean was following close behind. Sam led you through the long hallway. More closed doors with numbers on them except for one room close to yours, #11. It was a room just like yours but was decorated with guns and knives hanging on the wall. You looked in and then heard Dean say, “That’s my room.”  
You just turned and glowered at him as if to say “I don’t care.” Sam continued down the hall and turned right. On the right you could see a kitchen and then ahead you came through the archway and the room opened up into a huge library. It was filled with bookshelves and three wooden desks with 4 chairs at each table. To the side there were huge overstuffed leather chairs, perfect for settling in to read a good book. Sam directed you to sit at the table and then took a seat across from you. Dean however, sat beside you staring at you, as if he was staring at a piece of meat he was ready to devour.

“Diana what I have to tell you is not going to make sense and you’re going to think that I’m lying, but I’m not. Can you just listen to me first without interrupting?” 

“OK,” you say waiting to hear his story.

“My brother and I are hunters. Not like hunting big game or for food. We hunt ..” Sam paused and looked at Dean and then back at you. “..monsters. Vampires, ghosts, and werewolves.”  
Diana’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth but didn’t speak. 

“I told you that my mother died in a house fire. That’s not the whole story. She was attacked by a demon. He set her on fire. Afterward, my dad was obsessed with hunting the demon down and he discovered that there were other hunters out there. He partnered up with some for a while but he decided he worked better alone.”

“Until I got old enough to learn how to handle a knife and shoot a gun. He was in the military so he trained us like soldiers.” Dean added to the explanation. “We drove around from town to town, wherever strange deaths or disappearances would occur.”  
They both were looking at you trying to see any signs of doubt from you.

“Diana, do you understand what we’re telling you?” Sam asked.

“Yes I do,” you said. “And I believe you.”  
Sam and Dean looked at each other surprised. It usually required a lot more convincing to make people understand that they were in danger and come to believe their strange story or circumstances.

“You do?” Sam asked.

“Yes. I know there are monsters out there because I’ve seen one.” You paused and took a deep breath trying to calm your emotions. “My mother and little sister were killed by a werewolf. So I didn’t tell you the whole story either. In fact, when you came in on me earlier, I had a nightmare, reliving the horrible experience. My family always took a vacation at the end of summer before school started back for us and at whatever college dad would be teaching. We went to see Mount Rushmore and were heading back home when we decided to stop at a campsite. My dad and I were fishing and then we heard screams.” You paused taking another breath, fighting off the panic attack that usually followed these memories.

“It’s OK. You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.” Dean said touching your elbow. You looked at him and saw something different in those bright green eyes. Compassion. He actually cared and you felt like he understood the pain it caused you to retell your story. You didn’t pull away from his touch as you had earlier. In fact, it was comforting, warm, and safe.

“No, it’s fine. I want you both to know. My dad told me to stay put and he ran ahead to the campsite. I could still hear the screams and then got worried for my dad and I got scared because I was all alone. I ran after him and then saw a huge, black wolf standing over my dad. I also saw my mom and little sister’s bodies.” Tears were stinging and pooling in your eyes now and a single tear escaped and rolled down your cheek. “I screamed and then the wolf noticed me. Dad told me to run and so I did and tried to climb up into a tree.” You stand up at this point and walk around the table with your back to them. Sam gets up and comes to you.

“What happened then?” he asked. You turn to look him in the eyes. You then realize that Sam has those same green eyes but his are softer and you see the concern as well. You put your hands out to Sam and he takes your hands in his. You turn your right leg and ankle to reveal a faded scar of teeth and bite marks. 

“If people see my scar and ask me about it, they assume it was a dog bite. I say that the neighbor’s dog did it when I was a child.” Sam and Dean look at each other knowingly but don’t say anything.

“The wolf grabbed my leg and pulled me down to the ground. It paced around me for a while and I knew I was going to die. I shut my eyes and then I heard a gunshot. When I opened my eyes there was a man with a gun. He had shot the wolf. He helped me and my dad. He took us back to his house and took care of my wound.”

“Did you ever go to the hospital?” Dean asked.

“No. The hunter said it would be best not to. Too many questions from the doctor’s. He said the wound would heal eventually, which it did. Thankfully the animal didn’t have rabies but I did have to get a shot from that hunter. It hurt so bad but he said it was the only way to prevent it from changing me. I didn’t understand what he was saying but my dad did. I now know that was the only thing that kept me from becoming a werewolf too.”  
You move away from Sam and come back to your seat. You feel totally drained from reliving the worst experience of your life. 

“Did you ever get this hunter’s name?” Dean asked.

“Yes. His name was Bobby. My dad stayed in touch with him for a while and he would stop in to check up on me for that next year. He would always bring me a toy or some candy when he visited. I liked him a lot, kind of like an uncle. Then he just stopped coming around.” You notice Sam and Dean looking at each other and they now seem sad.

“Is something wrong? Do you know Bobby?”

“He was a friend of our dad. They hunted together until they had a falling out, but Bobby was like our uncle. Actually, he was more like a second father to us.” Dean said.

“Wow! You know the man that saved me. I would love to see him again. To thank him again.” you said excitedly.

“Bobby died about 3 years ago,” Sam replied. You could see the pain this fact caused him and Dean written on their faces.

“I’m sorry. He was a good man.”

“Yes he was, but that’s the nature of this business,” Dean said getting up. “Always on the road, crappy motels and diner food, at least until we found this place.”

“So how long have you been here?”

“About a year or so. Our grandfather was a Men of Letters and this was their headquarters.” Sam said proudly.

“Men of Letters? Is that like the Masonics?” you asked curious now.

“Not quite. The Men of Letters were a group of men who collected Supernatural and spiritual artifacts. They studied famous murder cases and they even would send hunters out to investigate. There are so many items here that we haven’t had time to look at. We started going through all the boxes and files but then we would always get a new case and need to leave.” Sam paused and looked at Dean. Dean shrugged his shoulders and nodded.  
“That’s where you come in.”

“What? I don’t understand.”


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter: 7

Sam continued to explain their situation. They needed someone to inspect all the items, catalog them into a database, and sort and organize them. Your knowledge of Religion, ability to read and speak Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and your research capabilities make you the perfect candidate. 

“Seriously? You needed a research assistant, so you thought you would kidnap me?” Diana said angrily.

“What would you have said if I had been totally honest with you at the restaurant?” Sam asked.

“Hell no! I would have thought you were crazy and left.” Diana said now standing. 

“Exactly, which is why I did the nice guy routine to gain your trust.”

“Oh really? So that was just an act?”

“Well, yeah but not totally. I enjoyed talking to you and the more we talked, I realized that you are a nice person and” Diana cuts Sam off.

“But then some inner Neanderthal took over and you decided to drug me and drag me back to your cave?” 

“OOOOO, burn!”, said Dean laughing. Diana spins and directs her anger toward Dean now.

“And you! Strong silent type, but standing back staring me up and down making me think that you’re going to jump me at any minute. And calling me sweetheart!”

“He calls every woman that.”

“SHUT UP SAM!” you and Dean say in unison.

“I’m done! I’m leaving! You guys are a special kind of psycho.” As you approach Dean, he grabs your arms and pulls you into a bear hug securing you in place.

“Hold on Diana. We’re sorry that we lied to you and that we kidnapped you, but we didn’t see any other way. We’re not going to hurt you but we can’t trust that you won’t go straight to the cops. And we couldn’t let you know the location of the bunker.”  
You struggle against Dean but he is very strong and tightens his grip but it’s not painful.

“Diana, please? Could you maybe just look at one thing and if you aren’t totally blown away by the stuff, then we’ll work out a way to release you.” Sam says.

“Sam -” Dean starts to protest and you feel him relax his grip. Your quick actions startle him as you drop beneath his arms and swing kick his legs out from under him. He lands hard on his butt. Sam just stares in disbelief. You take a defensive pose and wait for the attack that’s coming.

“Oh by the way boys, I also have a black belt in Karate,” you say grinning wickedly.  
Dean gets up slowly rubbing his rear but then pulls his gun from his waistband pointing it at you.

“Bullets travel faster,” Dean says with a mean growl. Sam comes up behind him.

“Dean stop. We already told her that we’re not going to hurt her.”

“She didn’t feel the same when she floored me,” he said. Sam goes over to one of the other desks where he had been doing research. He picks up a book and brings it back to the table laying it open in front of Diana. He then backs away and pulls Dean backward as well.  
“Diana just look at it,” Sam says. 

You slowly approach the table and alternate your gaze between the guys and the book. The words that you saw were from Genesis. “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.” You look back up at Sam and Dean who still has the gun aimed at you.

“So? It’s the beginning before God created everything.”

“What do you know about the Darkness?” Sam asks.

“It was dark, formless, nothingness. God spoke the light into existence.” Diana said. 

“What relationship did God have to the Darkness?” 

“God was above all. He had dominion over the Darkness.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. God is light right?”

“Yes.”

“Darkness is the opposite of God but they each co-existed, like yin and yang.”

“Like good and evil? God and Satan? Is that what you mean, Sam?”

“Yes, except we have it on good authority that the Darkness was/is an actual person, uh, being rather.”

“And whose authority is this?” you ask intrigued now for the first time.

“Death,” Dean pipes up.

“What? Death? Are you talking about -?”

“Yep. The Grim Reaper himself.”

“You’ve met the Grim Reaper and lived to tell about it?”

“Sure have. He’s a little creepy but he loves good food. First time I met him we had Chicago deep-dish pizza.” Dean said grinning. Diana stares at Dean wondering what drugs he's on or what mental illness he suffers with.

“So Death told you about the Darkness as if it’s a person or spiritual being?”

“It’s true. I’ve seen him several times myself,” added Sam. You lowered your defenses enough to sit at the table and scan the book more. It included a mix of Biblical scriptures and pagan rituals. It reminded you of some of the books you had used while writing your thesis, but this version had way more details. Things that you had never heard before. You looked up at Sam.

“What else have you got? Show me one of these artifacts.”

“Come with us. I guarantee you won’t believe it until you see it.” Sam says.  
You get up from the table to follow Sam who has rushed past you. Dean is still behind you but has lowered his gun now. 

“You coming or are you gonna pout because a girl knocked you on your ass?” You don’t even wait for a response heading in the direction that Sam took. Dean follows, gun still in hand.

\-------------

Sam stopped in front of #7-B and fumbled with a set of master keys to unlock the door. It clicked and he opened the door and then went inside turning on the light. You saw several metal shelves filled to the ceiling with brown cardboard boxes. It was a normal storage room like any other. Sam went to a non-descript box and brought it back to a desk that was right inside the room. He removed the lid and pulled out a rectangular wooden case with a hinged top. The top was glass-encased and you could see the contents. It was a metal handle with a wooden middle and a metal spear tip. There was a label that said “Spear of Destiny”. Diana could only stare in disbelief. She had studied about this object and had seen pictures of it online, but to actually be looking at in person.

“So what is the Spear of Destiny?” Sam asks.

“It’s the Holy Lance or Spear used to pierce the side of Jesus while he hung on the cross. There are several spears that claimed to be the actual one but the true spear is in the Imperial Treasury at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. It’s believed that whoever possesses the spear wields the power to bend the destiny of the world to his own wishes.”

“So this is a replica?” Dean asks.

“Not sure. Probably. Do you want to try it out? Take it in hand and then bend the world to whatever you wish?” Diana jokes.  
A slow smile forms on Dean’s lips and you realize how dirty that just sounded.

“Oh my God Dean!” your cheeks blushing.

“What else have you got in here?” Diana said looking into the box.

“Nope. That’s all you get,” said Sam crossing his arms and waiting for a reaction.

Diana looks around the room, which is full of more boxes on every shelf. This place is too massive and too ornately decorated to be just a place to hold people for sex slave trading. She had even noticed some occult items and sigils carved into the threshold of each doorway. Could this place be for real? Her logical, analytic mind said no way, yet here she stood. Surrounded by boxes of who knows what. And her curiosity is more than piqued now. Turning back to face Sam and Dean, you now try to determine if they are lying. Trying to sucker you again, with those sweet puppy dog eyes and those gorgeous green ones.

“What’s in it for me? And how do I know that you’ll let me go when the job is done? I mean I know it will take some time to go through everything in this room and maybe the contents of the library too, but when I’m done, I can leave right?”  
Sam and Dean look at each other. 

“As long as you don’t try to escape, and you promise not to tell anyone about this place. And that definitely includes your father,” says Sam.

“Plus you get to stay in your own room, privacy in the shower, but you have to let us know first, meals in the kitchen, and the pleasure of our company when we’re here,” Dean says grinning.

“What if I say no?”

“Then we’ll just wait it out until you agree. Diana, I saw your excitement when you looked at the spear of destiny, and you definitely want to see what else is in these boxes.”

“Can I sleep on it and give you my answer tomorrow?”

“Sure,” says Sam eagerly. He thinks she’s on the hook.

“Can I ask for some personal things?”

“Like what?”

“A change of clothes? I’m still in this dress from our “date”. I’d love some sweats, shorts, jeans, and t-shirts. And underwear and bra and personal toiletry items like shampoo and body wash. And please tell me that you got my laptop and my purse. My thesis and all my research notes are on there.”

“We can get you the clothes, we have plenty of shampoo and bath stuff in each shower room, and we can get whatever foods you like, but you can’t have your laptop or your phone until we can trust that you won’t try to contact the police or your father.”

“I guess I understand that. But speaking of my father, we talk every Sunday night. If I can’t talk to him, he’ll call the cops. He knows that I was going to meet with you, Sam.”

Sam thought about it and then said, “You can talk to him but we’ll know if you try to warn him or use code words.” 

“Fair enough,” you said. 

“OK then. How about we get some grub? I’m starving.” said Dean.

You all left the storage room and Sam locked the door again. They led the way to the kitchen which was near Sam's room. He showed it to you as you passed by. It had the same layout as Dean’s except without the guns and knives on the wall. In the kitchen, Dean began preparing lunch, while you and Sam sat at the wooden table. You watched Dean cooking and he looked like he was having fun. You never thought he would know how to cook and you were pleasantly surprised when you bit into the burger he had prepared. It could have been the fact that you were really hungry since you hadn’t eaten in over 12 hours. Maybe longer since you had no sense of time.  
You made small talk with the boys asking them about some of their cases and the different monsters they had killed. They gave you more gory details than you actually wanted to hear and how many times they had broken bones, been stabbed, punched, and knocked unconscious. After lunch, Sam cleaned up the dishes while you and Dean went to the library. 

You looked at the rows of books and then asked if you could look at one. He nodded and you selected one and then settled into the comfy leather chair while Dean sat at the table and surfed the Internet on his laptop. He looked at you often as you read. You had tucked your legs up underneath you and snuggled into the headrest as you read. The book you had selected was about Angels. You thumbed through looking at all the photos. They looked like every other picture that you had seen depicting angels. Fluffy, white wings spread out behind them, laying on clouds strumming a harp. But other photos were of strong muscled warriors with spears fighting against demonic, horned beasts. Sam had said his mother was killed by a demon and they have fought them: angels and demons. They even claimed that one of their best friends was an angel by the name of Castiel. You wondered if you would get to meet him. 

Dean looked up and noticed that the book now rested on your lap and you were sleeping. He heard your soft breaths and thought how peaceful you looked. Although he had only known you for a couple of days, he knew you were something special. Smart, fiercely independent, tough as nails attitude when threatened, but with a certain softness and feminism as well. She was not his usual type of woman that he would be attracted to but Damn, he was already considering it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter: 8

Diana awoke from her nap with a start. The heavy metal door at the top of the stairs had just banged shut. She stood up and looked in that direction but no one was there. She also was now alone in the library. Dean wasn’t there and his laptop was gone as well. How long had she been asleep? She decided to go back to the kitchen looking for Sam. The kitchen was empty as well. She ventured down the hallway, but when she came to Sam’s room the door was closed. She put her ear to the door but heard nothing. She knocked twice and called Sam’s name but there was no answer. She turned the corner and moved along the hallway until she came to Dean’s room. It was also closed and she repeated the process. Again no answer. Where were they?  
She wanted to explore more of the bunker but felt a moment of fear. Was this a test? Were they watching you on camera to see if you would try to escape? You continued forward to your room and looked inside but they weren’t there either. You walked to the bed noticing a slip of paper.

Diana,  
Got a case. We left out but a good friend is there to keep you company.  
Hopefully, we’ll be back soon.  
Sam and Dean

Great! You were just getting used to your kidnappers and now there was a third. 

“Hello Diana.” said the deep male voice from behind you. You jumped and then turned to see a pleasant-looking man smiling at you. He was medium height and weight and was wearing black dress pants, a white button-down shirt, a blue tie, and a tan long trench coat. 

“So Sam and Dean pulled you into their kidnapping caper?” you said flatly.

“No. They said they had a guest in the bunker and didn’t want you to be lonely. Told me to show you around but not to let you leave or use the laptops or your phone.”

Diana made a face and sighed. “So you basically do whatever they ask you to do?”

The man thought about it for a bit and then said, “No I don’t always do what they want. I have come to their rescue a few times though.”

“You rescued them? So you’re a hunter too?”

“No. I’m an angel. I’m Castiel,” he said smiling.  
Diana just looked at him. The boys had told you about him but you thought it was another tall tale to bring you on board. He certainly didn’t look like an angel but you had never met an angel before.

“Castiel? That’s a Hebrew name meaning my cover is God.”

“Yes, I know.”

“So where are your wings?”

“I don’t show them to everyone, especially not on the first meeting,” Cas says matter of factly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm.”

“I know.” 

“So you’re a real angel? What’s that like?”

“I don’t understand the question?” he said with a confused expression.

“So what kind of angel are you? What are some of the things that you have done?”

”I am a seraphim. Do you know what seraphim is?”

“Well, yes. Seraphims are the only forms of celestial beings that can tolerate being in the presence of God. They are part of the Holy Choir and worship God in His presence at all times.”  
Diana seemed to take pride in herself for knowing this fact from her life’s studies.

“Wrong,” Castiel said. “Humans are easily confused and can’t fathom the wonders of the Heavens,” he said shaking his head.

“Can you enlighten me then? Is that allowed?”

“I will tell you what I can. Would you like to sit down because it might take a while?”

“Castiel, you are amazing. I have so many questions and I don’t even know where to start.”

“Most people want to start at the beginning, but that’s up to you.”  
Castiel turns and leaves the room. Diana is stunned but then hurries to follow him. They go to the library and settle into the leather chairs. 

“OK, so how did you meet Sam and Dean?”

“I was assigned to watch them. To make sure they would one day fulfill their destinies.”

“So you made sure that they became hunters? To help innocent people when monsters and evil come into their lives?

“No. They were destined to be the vessels of Michael and Lucifer and fight to the death in the Apocalypse.”

“What? The Apocalypse?” you ask trying to catch your breath.

“Do you not understand what the Apocalypse is?”

“No, I mean, yes, I know what the Apocalypse is or will be in the future.”

“Wrong again. The Apocalypse already happened, well almost happened. Sam and Dean stopped it.”

“Stopped it. How? And when you say Michael and Lucifer, are you meaning the archangel Michael and Lucifer is Satan?”

“Yes. I thought I made that abundantly clear.”

“I’m sorry Castiel. It’s just that you are literally blowing my mind with all of this information.”  
Diana stares at him, trying to figure out if he is just toying with her and making these stories up for the biggest shock factor. Castiel is just patiently waiting for your next question.  
“Castiel, would you excuse me for a second? I’m going to get something to drink from the kitchen. Do you want anything?”

“No thank you.”

Diana gets up and heads to the kitchen. Her mind is racing. She’s talking to someone who says he is an angel, that his sole responsibility was to watch Sam and Dean. He has all of this Biblical knowledge and there really is no way for you to verify if what he is saying is true. I guess it all comes down to -

“Faith” Castiel says as he suddenly appears in front of you. You gasp in disbelief and fear. 

“How did you do that? You just appeared and ...and ..OH MY GOD! It’s true! You’re really an angel!”

“Yes, Diana. Sometimes people, usually children, can trust what people tell them and not question it. Others have to analyze it and try to formulate their own opinions about it. It’s OK that you didn’t believe me. Neither did Dean.”  
“You first appeared to Dean?”

“Yes, I had to save him.”

“Save him from what?”

“Hell.”

“Hell. Dean was in hell? He died and went to hell?” Diana had to let this all sink in. Her mouth was dry and she needed water. She went to the fridge and found some bottled water. She took it, twisted off the top, and began to drink. She was so thirsty. Maybe it was from the shock of seeing Castiel suddenly appear before her and realize he is an angel of the Lord. What an opportunity she had before her. To be able to ask an angel all of the questions that she had ever had about God, Heaven, and Hell. She had always wondered if Heaven was real and were her mother and sister there as her father had said. Would she go there when she dies and see them again? She hoped so more than anything. And she hadn’t said a word. She was having doubts about Castiel and then he appears and says exactly what she had been thinking. So he can read my thoughts and my mind. Diana turns back to face Castiel again.

“So how did Dean die?” you ask slowly.

“Hellhound. Dean made a deal to save his brother Sam. He was given one year and then when his time was up, the beast attacked him and drug his soul to Hell. He was tortured every day. It was hard to watch but I had to.”

“So how is Dean back alive?”

“I gripped him tight and raised him from perdition. I had to fight off countless demons to get to him but it was worth it.” Diana just looked at him willing him to continue talking.  
“When I first appeared to Dean, he shot me in the chest or did he stab me in the heart? It was a long time ago. And I met Bobby Singer. I know what he did for you when you were a child.”

Your eyes open wider than before now. You come closer to Castiel and stand in front of him.

“You know Bobby? Or knew him? The guys told me he died. Is he in heaven?”

“Yes, he is. And he is happy. He even helped the boys and myself recently get someone out of heaven.”

“Out of heaven? Why would anyone want to leave heaven?”

“Well, he was in jail. We needed his help with the Darkness and he’s enjoying his freedom for the moment.”  
Diana’s head was spinning with all of these bits of information. It was actually overwhelming.

“Can we go back to the library and sit down? I’m feeling dizzy. It’s a lot for my little mind to comprehend.”

“Sure.”

Castiel and Diana returned to the library and sat down. Castiel again continued to explain all of the events that have happened from then until now. Diana listened intently and tried not to ask too many questions. It seemed that every time she asked a question, Castiel would go off on a different path, leading her down another mind-twisting route that would make her dizzy all over again. After another hour of talking, Diana’s stomach growled and she realized that it had been several hours since lunch with Sam and Dean.

“Are you hungry? I can make us something.” Diana said standing up to head to the kitchen.

“I don’t eat. Well, not anymore. When I was human, I did. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were my favorite.”

Diana grinned and said, “Mine too.”

“But you go ahead.”

“Would you come with me and keep me company?”

“Of course. I like that you listen to me. Dean doesn’t like my stories and rarely listens to them.”

“Well, I love them. I’m sorry that I ask so many questions but it is just so fascinating to be able to talk to someone who was actually there when Jesus was alive and then after his resurrection.”

In the kitchen, Diana looks to see what is available in the fridge. She selects 2 eggs, some bacon strips, cheese, and some butter. She finds the cooking utensils and pans and starts to prepare her meal. Castiel is seated at the table watching her. She seems to enjoy what she is doing. She’s smiling and it sounds like she’s humming. 

“Diana, how are you?” Castiel asked sincerely.  
Diana stopped and looked up at him.

“Fine. Hungry right now but I’m OK.”

“I don’t think you truly understand my question. How are you feeling about what’s happening to you? Being kidnapped and held against your will by 2 strangers?”  
“Three counting you,” you added. Diana removed the pans from the stove so her food wouldn’t burn. She came to sit at the table across from him.

“Why do you want to know how I’m feeling? I’m just someone that has a knowledge and skill set that could be helpful to Sam and Dean. Do I wish that they would have been honest with me from the beginning? Yes, but realistically, I would have thought Sam was crazy and got away from him as soon as possible.”  
Castiel paused looking into Diana’s green eyes. The lingering stare was making her uncomfortable.

“You have a beautiful soul, Diana. You’ve been touched by evil and it left lasting scars not only on your skin but also on your heart, mind, and soul. But you haven’t let that stop you from believing in a higher power, angels, and demons. You’ve devoted your life to studying Religion and how those beliefs shape people.”

Castiel’s words have an immediate effect on you. You feel tears welling up in your eyes and a lump has formed in your throat. His words seem to reach straight through to your heart and soul, after all he is an angel. 

“May I?” Castiel said reaching his hand across to touch you. You nodded just as a tear dropped from your eye. He touched your hand and gave it a soft squeeze in his own. 

“Do you believe that God created you with a purpose in mind? “

“Yes, I guess so,” Diana said shrugging her shoulders.

“No. You have to believe that you were uniquely created for this purpose and for this time.”

You were quiet and closed your eyes and hung your head. You were sobbing now. 

“It’s so hard ….to know…. if I’m meant...to follow in….my father’s footsteps…..or venture out and…..do my own thing.” you choked out, trying to gain control over your emotions.

“Yes, it is. At some point, we all have to decide whether we stay the course that is planned for us or decide to make a new path for ourselves. And the only one that can decide that is you.”

Diana looked up at Castiel now. She wiped her eyes with her free hand.

“It’s been me and my dad ever since I was 8. He’s the only family that I have. I idolized him growing up and he would share all of the interesting facts with me from his work. It just seemed like the obvious choice for me when I went to college.”

“Did you ever wish that you could do something else?”

“Sort of. There was one time when my dad fell on the ice on campus and broke his arm. He had to have surgery and when he got out of the hospital, I took care of him. At first, I was so afraid that I would hurt him when I helped him put on his shirt or comb his hair. He said that I was his favorite nurse. I felt like I was finally doing something to help out and it made me proud of myself.”

“Sounds like you found something that you’re passionate about. Did you think about going to nursing school rather than majoring in Religious Studies?”

“Maybe but my dad was so excited about having me on campus with him and in the same department. I didn’t want to disappoint him.”

“Maybe you should have thought about it.” Just then, you hear a cell phone ringing. Castiel reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out his phone.

“Hello, Sam.” There’s a pause and then Cas excuses himself to take the call in private. Diana goes back to her meal but discovers that it is no longer appetizing to her. She trashes the eggs and bacon and decides to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead. She devours the sandwich in minutes. She goes back to the fridge for some milk but discovers it has soured. She pours it down the sink and then throws away the carton.   
Castiel returns to the kitchen and finds Diana washing the dishes. 

“How was Sam?” you ask.

“He’s fine. They’ve wrapped up the case and are heading back.”

“So Sam was checking in to make sure I hadn’t escaped?” Diana said jokingly.

“Yeah, something like that,” Cas said flatly. Something had changed in Cas since the call from Sam. He seemed preoccupied but tried not to let it show. He decided to give you a tour of the bunker. He explained that it was a three-story building that served as an old power station built in the 1930s. It closed in 1958 when all the Men of Letters had died out and had set abandoned until Sam and Dean’s grandfather gave them the key right before his death last year. You had already seen the main parts of the bunker so Cas took you to see the garage. It was huge and there were several older vehicles parked inside. There was even an old Indian motorcycle, which you knew would fetch a lot of money at auction. He then took you to the gym. There were assorted weights, a weight bench, and bars in which to do chin-ups and a hanging boxing bag and gloves on one side of the room. On the other side was a half basketball court and basket. Two basketballs were laying on the floor waiting for their next game. When you got back to the dorms, you told Castiel that you were tired and ready to go to sleep. He understood even though he no longer needed to sleep. He told you that he would be in the room next door if you needed him. It was a room that he had often used when he stayed at the bunker. Cas closed the door and you were waiting to hear the click of the door locking. Instead, you heard a door opening and then closing and knew that Castiel was in the next room.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter: 9

You awoke to three knocks on your door. You sat up drawing the blanket up to your throat. You had taken off your dress, bra, and slip before you went to sleep and you didn’t want whoever it was to see your bare breasts. 

“Come in.”  
The door opened and Dean came into the room. He flicked on the light to see you better. He was carrying a duffel bag.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.” You felt your heartbeat a little faster. This man was hard to figure out: one minute he was gruff, holding you tight in his firm embrace, or pointing a gun at you but then within minutes he had tenderly touched you when you had broken down crying and spoke so softly. Could this be the moment when he finally had had enough of your stubbornness, your sass, and backtalk, and was ready to make you do whatever he wanted? He approached the bed slowly and you tried not to show fear.

“I think you might want what’s in the bag,” he said and then set it down at the foot of the bed.  
You made no move to reach for it. 

“Aren’t you gonna check it out?”

“Dean, I don’t have my clothes on underneath this blanket, so if you don’t mind, turning around or leaving, then I’ll look in the bag,” you said your cheeks turning red.

“Oh, uh, sure. It’s a good thing I came in then. We brought you the clothes that you requested.”

“Thank you.”

Dean backed up a little but his eyes were still on you. In fact, they scanned down your body to your toes and then back up again. As his eyes met yours, he grinned and gave you a little wink. He then quickly turned and exited your room, closing the door behind him. You reached for the bag and unzipped it. Your eyes lit up as you saw the clothes. These were your own clothes! They must have gotten your keys from your purse and went to your place and collected some of the items that you had requested. You couldn’t hold back the excitement as you pulled out your white robe. You immediately got up and put it on. The familiarity and comfort of it made you smile. You laid out all of the contents of the duffel bag on the bed: three pairs of jeans, four t-shirts, three sweatshirts including your favorite Kansas one, three pairs of shorts, a couple of tank tops, and an assortment of underwear, bras, and socks. They had also thought to bring along your tennis shoes and your bath slippers. They even brought your hairbrush and comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, and deodorant and perfume. This was an extra surprise and a really nice gesture. You had just requested some clothes, but they knew you would feel more comfortable in your own clothes. But then, you thought, Sam and Dean had been in your apartment and you felt a little weird about that. Were you losing your mind? One minute you’re excited to have your own clothes but the next you feel violated by strangers going through your things. It’s just a weird situation and you knew you would have to come to terms with it. At least you had made up your mind and this offering from the guys and the heart-to-heart with Castiel had helped you to decide. You were going to help them organize the storage room and do research on whatever they asked for. 

\-----------

Diana decides to take a shower now that she has her clothes to change into. She exits her room wearing her favorite bathrobe. Sam had already told her that there would be shampoo and bath products as well as towels and washcloths in the shower rooms. She crossed the threshold and started to enter when she saw Dean standing at a urinal with his back to you. You froze but then whirled around to wait out in the hallway. In your haste, you banged into the door frame and the pain of your big toe hitting the concrete wall made you cry out. “Shit!”

Dean turned his head quickly and then grinned. “You OK?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

Dean flushed the toilet and then turned to face you zipping up his pants slowly. Your cheeks flushed and your eyes averted downward. “It’s fine. I don’t mind you watching me.”

“Well, that wasn’t my intention. I thought I would take a shower if that’s OK?”

“Yeah. Fine by me. You don’t have to ask permission.”

“I’m not. I’m telling you that I’m going to take a shower so that I can have some privacy.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. We did say that didn’t we.” Dean sweeps past you extending his arm. “It’s all yours. Enjoy.”

He leaves the room and you close the door and lock it. Sorry Dean, no peeping, you think to yourself. You open a cabinet door and there are several shampoo and conditioner bottles along with several fragrances of body washes and soaps. You select a shampoo, conditioner, and a body wash with a lilac scent and a scrunchie. You slip out of the robe and hang it on a hook beside the nearest shower stall. You then slip off your underwear and hang it up as well. You turn on the water waiting for it to warm up. As you touch it, it is already hot so you adjust it to your preference and then step underneath it. The warm liquid cascades down onto your hair and shoulders. You move your head from side to side and let the warmth radiate on your neck. You wet your hair and then put a dollop of shampoo into your palm and then onto your hair. You lather your hair letting your fingertips massage your scalp. Even though it had only been 2 days since you last showered, to you it felt like a week. You rinsed the shampoo from your hair and then got the body wash and scrunchie. The lather was luxurious and it felt so good as you scrubbed your skin clean. You dipped under the shower spray again and washed away the suds, watching them swirl down the drain. The warm water and the pressure that it applied to your skin made you want to stay until the water ran cold. It sounded like a plan but the growling in your stomach made you decide otherwise. You finish up and then grab a towel drying off. You put your underwear and robe back on making sure it is tied securely. You unlock the door, and then swing it open, half expecting to find Dean lurking in the hallway, but it was empty. You go back to your room, closing the door behind you. You select your favorite jeans and your Kansas sweatshirt. You put on some warm socks and your tennis shoes. You comb your wet hair and then tuck it behind your ears. You check yourself in the small mirror hanging on the wall before heading out to find the guys. As you near the kitchen, you hear voices and recognize Sam, Dean, and Castiel engrossed in a heated discussion. 

“Well God is a no show and without him, how are we going to defeat Amara?” Dean says angrily.

“I don’t know but we have to try. I told you about my recent visions right after I prayed.” Sam says.

“You’re having visions, Sam? What kind of visions?” asks Castiel. Dean looks disgusted and turns back to preparing breakfast for everyone.

“I’m remembering my time in the cage with Lucifer. The torture, the endless fire, everything. I don’t know what it means.”

“Maybe the answer comes from that time. Do you remember Lucifer talking about the Darkness during your time together? Maybe bragging about how he helped his Father lock her away?” asked Castiel.

“No,” says Sam shaking his head. “I don’t remember him ever talking about -” Sam stops as he sees Diana come through the doorway. She looks different dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and to Sam, she looked almost happy.

“Good morning guys,” she said. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, not at all. Come on in.” Sam says making room for her at the table. You walk over and take a seat beside him and across from Cas.

“How was your shower?” Dean asks as he stirs the scrambled eggs.

“Awesome! The water pressure is wonderful and you have an endless supply of hot water!” you said enthusiastically.

“Glad you approve.” Dean continues with the meal and pops 4 slices of bread into the toaster.

“How did you sleep? Better than the night before I hope,” asks Sam.

“Yes much better. No nightmares. Thanks for asking.” you say smiling at Sam.

“So who’s hungry?” Dean asks coming to the table with 2 plates filled with eggs and bacon. He hands the first plate to you and then one to Sam. He returns to retrieve his own plate but before he can sit down, the toaster ejects the bread with a ding. He pops back up to place them all on a plate and grabs a jar of grape jelly bringing it back and sitting down.

“I want strawberry,” Sam says annoyed.

“Well then get it yourself. I’m hungry.” Dean grumbles back at his brother. Sam gives Dean a face and goes to get his favorite jelly and refills his coffee cup.

Diana looks across at Castiel and asks, “Is this how they usually are?”

“Yes, and sometimes they’re worse,” Cas responds. You chuckle and then pick up your fork, stabbing some eggs and then putting them in your mouth. They taste so good and again you realize that Dean is a good cook. You reach across the table for a piece of toast just as Dean does the same. Your hands touch and you pause looking at each other. He draws his hand back and says “Ladies first.” You get your toast and put it on your plate just as Sam returns to the table.

“Strawberry?” he asks extending it out to you.

“Sorry, Sam. Grape is my favorite too.”

Dean laughs opening his mouth which is full of food. “She’s got good taste.”  
They all eat except for Castiel who doesn’t seem bothered at all that food is no longer a necessity for him.

“So Diana. Have you made a decision?” Sam asks.  
Diana puts down her fork and wipes her mouth with a napkin. She looks at Sam, then Dean, and then Castiel. 

“Yes, I have. I must be crazy or under a spell from touching some of the books in the library, but I’ve decided to help you.”

“What made you change your mind?” Castiel asked.

“You,” she said smiling at him. “Your words last night. It was like you had known me my whole life. And you saw past my exterior of trying to be the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect friend to everyone. I’ve always tried to please everyone else and always put myself last. My psychologist said it’s a symptom of Survivor’s guilt. I feel guilty that I survived the werewolf attack while my mother and sister died. I always just went along with what others wanted instead of deciding for myself. You guys let me make up my own mind about whether I would help you or not. Of course, I thought that even if I said no, you would still hold me, prisoner, anyway.”

“Diana, no-” Sam started but you touched his arm.

“Wait Sam, let me finish. This morning Dean brought me some clothes that I had requested. I appreciated it but it wasn’t until I opened the duffel bag and saw that it was my own clothes. You wanted me to feel comfortable here and have my own stuff. I realized that you’re not just heartless ‘Neanderthals’ forcing me to do whatever you ask. If you were, then you would have threatened my father’s life or beat me or something. You’re just guys that are in a very strange line of work, which you can’t tell anyone about, not that they would believe you anyway.”

Sam, Dean, and Cas were all smiling at you now. “Thank you all for letting me be...me. For the first time in my life.”

“You’re welcome,” said Cas.

“But just for clarification. If I had said no, what would you have done?”

Dean gets up with his plate and says, “Cas would have wiped your memory and transported you back to your apartment.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter: 10

Diana started to work right away. Sam and Diana went back to the storage room. He gave her back her laptop and her phone. While her laptop was charging, she decided to check her voicemail messages. She had 2 from her dad, wanting to know how the meeting with Sam had gone. He reminded you about the Sunday night talk and that he loves you. She would definitely call him later tonight. She would make up a story that she was helping Sam with his collection.  
Sam came back to the room with several legal pads, pens, and pencils. He also had an accordion file folder filled with reference information for the library. That way, you would know exactly where to go in the library if you need more information. 

“Anything else you need?” Sam asks.

“Nope. I’m just anxious to get started.” Diana grins up at Sam. She’s seated behind the desk, laptop fully charged.

“I’ll check back in with you in a couple of hours,” Sam says heading for the door.

“You better. I can be a little obsessive when I’m doing research.”

“Same here.” 

Sam left and Diana dug into her work. She had decided to create a database layout first with all the important fields of important information. She could always add more fields later if there was something else that the guys thought they needed. She then decided to go by the numbers and labeling system that the Men of Letters had used. About 15 minutes in, she discovered that the original system was based on the theme of the items. She decided that was probably the most logical choice and decided to stay with that method. However, she decided to employ a double reference system making it easier for the boys to check information by theme and alphabetically. The box that Sam had opened from the night before was still on the desk. She took the Spear of Destiny and recorded the information in the database. The next item was in a laminated glass case and was airtight. There was a label saying that it was temperature and humidity-controlled case filled with argon and oxygen to prevent chemical changes to the object. Diana figured it was an old document of some sort. She turned the case over again and read the label. Her hands began to shake and she almost dropped it on the desk. It read The Shroud of Turin. The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the head covering used to wrap the head of Jesus after his crucifixion. She had studied about this artifact extensively and had even attended a public display with her father in 2010 in Turin, Italy. She knew that there were many claims to the shroud as the early churches cut strips to distribute to several Catholic churches across Europe. Further studies were also revealed that some of these strips were wrapped around the body and not just the head. Whether this was one of those strips or a fake, it still got her blood pumping and her mind spinning. She logged it in and then moved on.

\---------------

Dean’s POV

You and Sam were seated at one of the tables in the library trolling the internet for new cases or sightings of Amara. You were finding it hard to concentrate on the screen. Your mind kept drifting back to the last time you were face to face with her. She was no more than a young teenager, maybe 16 at the most. You and Sam had come to kill her. You had the knife in hand and was facing her. All you had to do was thrust the knife forward into her heart. She knew why you were there but it didn’t seem to bother her. She even told you that you could never kill her because you were bound to one another. Maybe it was because you had both bore the Mark, or because you had freed her. For that reason, you felt responsible for every life that she took and you knew that if she wasn’t stopped, she would destroy everything. And then Sam broke through the door and tried to attack her, but to no avail. With the quick wave of Amara’s hand, Sam went flying through the air and landed against the wall. Nobody hurts my brother you thought and lashed out toward her but she flung you across the room as if you were a fly. Crowley was also there and he had threatened yours and Sam’s life. To your surprise, Amara then turned on him. She held him in place and with her arm extended, clenched her hand into a fist. Crowley gasped for breath and she told him that she would release him as long as he let you both live. He finally relented and she let him go. You and Sam made a hasty retreat out of harm’s way. You knew you would be facing her again and you knew you had to get the job done next time.

“Earth to Dean.” No answer. “Dean!” Sam said louder finally catching your attention.

“What?” you said looking at Sam.

“I was just asking you what you think about Diana. Aren’t you glad that she decided to help us?”

“Yeah sure,” you said without feeling.

“Well, you don’t sound like it. What’s the problem?”

“Nothing Sam.”

“Come on Dean. You’ve got something on your mind.”

“I’m just worried that we may have jumped the gun on bringing in an outsider. She’s an innocent person, who is not familiar with our world. Yeah, she got attacked by a werewolf when she was a child but thankfully Bobby was there to save her.”

“And your point?”

“What if something happens to her because she had the misfortune of meeting us. We kidnapped her to get her to help us with the inventory. Granted she’s safe here in the bunker, which is where we intend for her to stay. But what if she decides that she can’t do it anymore and leaves,” you say. Sam can see the concern and worry on your face.

“I don’t think that will happen. You should have seen how excited she was to start checking out all of the stuff. In fact, I should probably go check on her. It’s been several hours since then.”

“Nah, man. I’ll go,” you say rising up and heading away. You then stop and turn back to Sam.  
“But I’m just saying, if anything happens to her, it’ll be our fault.”

You walk toward the storage room and slowly peek around the door frame so as not to startle Diana. She is not at the desk where you expected her to be. Several boxes have been taken off the shelves and are scattered around the room. You approach the desk and take a look at her laptop. A database document is open and several entries have been logged in, about 50 in fact. Wow, she’s making great progress. You hear a scraping noise and a grunt but don’t see anything. You head toward the noise and as you round the corner of a bookshelf, you see Diana on the top of a step stool, both hands on a box on a top shelf, trying to lift the box. You stare at her shape noticing her well-rounded buttocks. Her sweatshirt has ridden up and her lower back is showing and you think you catch a glimpse of writing, a tattoo maybe. Sexy! I hope I can get a better view of it! Just then you see her weight shift backward and you spring into motion. You catch her in your arms along with the box that she’s still holding onto.

“AH!” she exclaims in surprise and relief that she hadn’t fallen. She’s staring straight into your eyes and you’re doing the same with her.

“Are you OK?”

“Yes, thanks to you.” You continue to hold her but then quickly realize the awkwardness. You lower her legs and raise her back so she can stand on her own. 

“Here. Let me have that,” you say, taking the box from her and then setting it down on the floor. 

“Thank you. I’m sure that fall would have hurt.”

“Yep.” You step back to allow her room to pass by you but she stays in place.

“I would have had it coming though,” she said with a half-smile.

You look at her confused. “Since I scissor kicked you, making you fall.”

“Oh yeah, right,” you said a little embarrassed.

“I’m sorry. I was still trying to be tough and not show fear, and I was mad.”

“I know and you don’t have to apologize to me. We were the ones who -”

“No.,” she said interrupting. “I was mad at myself. I’ve got a black belt, am an educated, independent woman, but I got careless. Looked into those puppy dog eyes of your brother’s and got suckered in.”

“You’re not the first female and probably won’t be the last one either.”

“So Sam is quite the lady’s man?”

A deep laugh comes forth from you. “Sam?” you say still laughing. “Hardly.”

“No?”

“No. Not in the least.”

“Oh. OH!” you said with the realization. “I’m sorry. I just thought that since he was sort of flirting with me the other night that he was straight.”

Another deep laugh came out. “No, Diana. Sam’s not gay. He’s just, well, hasn’t had the best luck with the ladies.” You take a breath trying to regain your composure. 

Diana is now laughing too. “Dean, please don’t tell Sam that I thought he was gay.”

“Oh, I’m not making any promises. In fact, I think he should know what your first impression of him was,” you say teasing her. You turn to go find Sam, but Diana grabs your arm.

“That wasn’t what I thought and you know it, Dean!” You easily spin back around to face her and are just inches away from her face. You look down at her and then lick your bottom lip from one side to the other and back again.

“And what was your first impression of me?” You see her throat as she swallows quickly, and hear her suck in air.

“I’d rather not say,” she says and then looks down. You take your hand and gently cup her chin lifting it up to look at you.

“Why not?”

“Because the jury’s still out. I don’t want to -” You quickly but with tenderness lower your head to hers. Your lips press onto hers. You wonder if she will drawback and slap you, but then you feel her responding to the kiss. Slowly at first but then she presses her lips up and her lips part. You slowly move your tongue and trace across her bottom lip and then the top before slipping your tongue inside to meet hers. Your left hand eases around her waist while your right hand caresses her cheek. You feel her reach for your shoulder and then the other one goes to your neck. You taste the sweetness of her tongue and her hot breath mingling with yours. Your breathing has quickened and you notice hers has as well. You don’t want to move too fast, so you pull your tongue out and break free from the kiss. You look at her until she slowly opens her eyes.   
“And now?” you say.

“I was definitely wrong.” Diana smiles at you.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Most definitely.”


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter: 11

Diana had just finished logging in the last item of another box. She hit the save button just for her assurance and then closed the laptop. She checked the time on her phone and was shocked to see that it was 6:50 pm. It was Sunday night which meant she was 10 minutes away from her weekly chat with her father. They usually chatted for about 10 minutes or so about how their weeks had been and anything that was upcoming for the next. They would sometimes chat about politics, sports, or other current events but never discussed anything deeper. Diana loved her father and even though they said it at the end of their conversations, it was more like a salutation than a declaration of emotion. Diana hurriedly reboxed the items, put the lid on, and placed the box back on the shelf. She collected her laptop and charger, turned off the light, and closed the door. She went to her room and plugged in the laptop to charge. She then sat down on her bed and got her phone out. She dialed her dad’s number and he answered after the first ring.

“Hey honey.”

“Hi Dad. How are you?” Diana said happy to hear his voice.

“I’m fine. I’ve been watching the clock all day in anticipation of this call. So tell me. What happened with Sam?” he said excitedly.

“Calm down Dad. I’ll get to that but I just want to tell you something first.”

“OK. What?”

“I love you Dad.” Diana could feel the emotion welling up inside of her and had to take a breath and pinch the bridge of her nose to keep the tears back.

“I love you too. What’s brought on all this? We usually wait until we’re done to say it.” 

“I just felt like I needed to tell you how much you mean to me. You’re the only family I have and I’m sorry if I have neglected you or made you feel like you were an afterthought. I mean because of my work on my thesis. We haven’t seen each other in months.”  
“Oh honey. I love you so much and I didn’t feel that way. I knew how important it was for you to complete your thesis. But now you have so maybe this next week, we could get together for dinner. Have a really nice meal, anywhere you want to go. OK?”

Diana paused and felt the tears pooling in her eyes again. She would love that but knew it wasn’t possible now that she had agreed to help the Winchesters. 

“Well I don’t know if I can.” you said hesitantly. 

“Why not?” Diana had to think fast and phrase her words carefully.

“Well it kind of has to do with Sam and our meeting.” You pause and take a deep breath.

“Go on.” your father says with wonder.

“Well we had a really interesting meeting, and you were right dad, he’s tall.”

“Told you.” he said, sounding excited again.

“And handsome. We ended up spending this whole weekend together at his grandfather’s estate.”

“Oh Diana! That’s wonderful! I’ve been wanting you to find a good man and hopefully start a family.”

“Woa, hold on dad! We just met and, uh, were attracted to each other, and then one thing led to another. Nobody said anything about marriage and kids.”

“But you like him, right? It’s more than just sex?”

“Dad! Oh my God! When will you ever not say exactly what’s on your mind.” 

“Probably never. Why change now?” he said laughing.

“Yes dad. I like Sam. He’s nice. And I decided to help him and his brother go through their grandfather’s collection of old artifacts and documents.”

“Really? So what kind of stuff do they have?”

“Well, uh, we’ve been, uh, kinda busy and I haven’t gotten around to see it yet.” you lied but it was necessary.

“Say no more. So how long do you think it will take you to finish with the collection?”

“I’m not sure. The estate is huge and it’s on the outskirts of Lebanon, so I won’t be home for a while.” 

“Oh, I see. So now who’s rushing things?” he said jokingly.

“I knew you would think that but it’s not like that. The house is so big with several bedrooms and bathrooms. I’ll have my own room and bathroom whenever I want, and can work my way through the collection a little each day.”

“This project sounds interesting and I knew you would be the perfect person to do it.”

“Yeah, it’s been a very interesting weekend. I imagine once I start with the collection, it will get even more interesting.”

“Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t I come out next weekend and we could both go through the collection together? It would give me a chance to spend some time with you and get to know Sam better?” 

“Uh, I don’t think that will work. Sam and his brother are very, uh, protective of the estate and the collection. They don’t like visitors.”

“Well, Sam definitely made an exception for you. OK, well at least, we could get together for dinner sometime soon. Sam could come along.”

“Well, Sam travels for business a lot. Sometimes he may be gone for days even weeks at a time which makes it hard to schedule a time. But I’ll ask him.”

“Is there something else that you’re not telling me?”

“No Dad. Why would you think that?” you said worrying that you had given something away or that his dad radar had buzzed indicating that you were lying. 

“It just seems like you’re making up excuses every time I suggest ways to see you.”

“That’s ridiculous. Of course, I want to see you but it’s just the timing right now. Let me talk it over with Sam and once I know his business trips and when he’ll be home for a long weekend again, we’ll definitely get together. OK?”

“Well I guess that makes sense. I just miss you and all I want is for you to be happy.”

“I am dad.” Just then there’s a knock on your door and it makes you jump.

“Come in.” The door opens and it’s Dean grinning at you until he sees that you are talking on the phone.

“Dinner’s ready,” he says while waiting.

“OK, I’ll be right out,” you say waving him off with your free hand. Dean doesn’t move but stands there staring at you. You glare at him as if pleading for him to leave.

“So honey, is that Sam?”

“No Dad. That was Sam’s brother, Dean,” you say, still looking at him.

“What’s he like?”

“Dean is nothing like Sam. He’s more of an -” you pause searching for the right word especially with him standing in front of you. “acquired taste.” you grin at him now and this causes him to soften a little.

“Oh, well, hopefully, he won’t be around too much to ruin your time with Sam.”

“We’ll see. It was great talking to you dad but I need to go now. I love you.”

“Love you too, honey. Talk to you soon.”

“Bye.” and then you hang up. Dean is still staring and hasn’t smiled back. “What?”

“I thought you were going to talk to your dad in front of us.”

“I was but time got away from me with the inventory. By the time I got to a good stopping point, it was almost 7, and I just came in here to call. I didn’t say anything out of line or that would make him suspicious.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, he believed me. Well he did question why I kept making excuses for why he couldn’t come here next weekend to help with the collection or why Sam and I couldn’t join him for dinner.”

“What did you say?”

“Told him that you both are protective of the estate and don’t like visitors and that Sam travels a lot for business. He bought it.”

“I hope so. You hungry?” he said, finally smiling at you and reaching out to help you up. You touch his hand and he pulls you quickly to him and plants a kiss on your lips.

“Mmmm. What was that for?” 

“Just wanted to give you another taste of Dean Winchester. Since you’re comparing me to Sam.”

“What was I supposed to say? I lied to my dad and said that Sam and I hit it off and I ended up spending the weekend with him, which is true. I just left out the kidnapping part.”

“OK then. Let’s go eat before the food gets cold.”

You and Dean walk together to the kitchen where Sam and Cas are. Sam has a plate of spaghetti and a salad in front of him. Cas is just sitting at the table.

“Hey what took so long?” asks Sam.

“Diana was talking to her father. But she didn’t tell him anything and it sounded like he believed her.”

“Seriously, he did. If he hadn’t believed me, he would still be asking me questions. Oh and for what it’s worth, he approves of us Sam.” you say grinning at him.

“What?” Sam asks, surprised.

“Well I told him that we kind of hooked up and spent the whole weekend together.”

“Interesting. Probably the most believable story especially since he met me.”

“Yeah, and he wants us to join him for dinner sometime so he can get to know you better. I explained that you travel for business and I would need to check with you for a future time. Probably bought us a few more weeks.”

Dean comes to the table with a plate of spaghetti and a salad for you, and a plate of spaghetti for himself. He sits beside you and starts eating like he’s starving. 

“Hungry much?” Sam says, shaking his head.

“Wha? Yeah man.” Dean says with a mouthful. Just then Sam’s phone rings and he answers it.

“Hey, Donna.” Dean cuts his eyes toward Sam now at the mention of the name. You look at him wondering who Donna is. 

“Yeah it sounds like our kind of thing. I’ll bring Dean up to speed and then we’ll head your way tonight.” Sam ends the conversation and then nods at Dean.

“Road trip to Minnesota?” asks Dean.

“Yep. A man was killed in his own home by a man wearing a bunny head mask.”

“Is this a mythical creature or a man?” asks Cas.

“Not sure but we’ll find out.” Sam starts to eat knowing that they might not get a chance to stop for food. Dean does the same but even faster.

“So Cas, can you stay here with Diana while we’re gone?” Dean asks, looking at Cas and then at you.

“Of course,” says Cas.

“Wait a minute. Don’t you trust me” you scoffed “ after convincing my father that I am fine you think I need a sitter?” you say looking from Dean, then to Sam, and back to Dean.

“Yeah, of course. I just didn’t want you to be here all alone. You won’t get scared?” asks Dean.

“No. What is there to be scared of?”

“I agree with Dean. I’d feel better if Cas stays here in case something happens.”

“What’s going to happen?” you ask but then realize that they still don’t trust you not to escape.   
“You think I’m going to leave so you need your angel on guard duty.” you get up ready to head to your room. Dean rises, catching your arm.

“Diana it’s not like that. I just really don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“And I don’t understand why you think something will happen. I’m in a fortified underground bunker that no one knows about. All I’m going to do is the inventory. I promise.”  
Sam and Dean look at each other and then to Cas.

“Diana, we need Cas to stay with you for your own protection. It’s not that we don’t trust you.” Sam says sincerely.

“Why? Is someone or something coming here for you?”

“No, we don’t think so but we can’t take that chance. We brought you here and we’re responsible for you while you’re here. We just want you to be safe. And the other reason is that you're handling all kinds of Supernatural material that we don’t know anything about. There are spells, potions, and anything else that could potentially be harmful to you if you touch it or breathe it in.” Sam added.

“You failed to mention that upfront, but it doesn’t make a difference to me. I’ll wear gloves and a mask,” you said defiantly. 

“Damnit Diana! Why are you being so stubborn about this?” Dean said angrily. His demeanor shocked you, more than when you had first met him and thought he was just another thug holding you prisoner.

“I’m not some weak female that needs to be protected. I know that your jobs are to go in and rescue whoever is in danger from the monster of the week, and I can see how that would give you this hero complex. But I’m going into this knowing about some of the material, and I’ll be careful.”

Dean takes your hand before pulling you along and saying, “Come with me.” You took it more as a command than a request, but still followed him down the hallway. When he reaches his room, he leads you inside and closes the door.

“Diana, you have no idea what you might find inside some of those boxes and files. We’ve only opened a few and it amazes us every time.”

“I know. I’ve found some amazing things earlier today but nothing that was dangerous or harmful.”

“But there could be something though. And in that case, Sam and I would feel better to know that Cas is here with you. He’s an angel. He can protect you or heal you if you get hurt.”

“Well that sort of makes sense, but I still think I’ll be fine.”

“Humor us? Or do it for me? I don’t want to get killed because I was distracted worrying about you.” he said with a little smile. Biting your lip you soften a bit seeing the concern on Dean’s face. Could he have feelings for you more than just a physical attraction. Certainly not, it was too soon.

“I would hate that, and would blame myself,” you said teasing him. He caught on and then grabbed you by the waist tickling you. You laughed and started to beg him to stop, which only made him tickle you more. You turned to free yourself from him and you both fell onto his bed with him landing on top of you. He smothered your mouth with a desperate kiss. His tongue darting in seeking yours. You could taste the spaghetti sauce from dinner reminding you that you were hungry. It could wait. Dean’s arms were underneath you and he slipped a hand free and brought it to your face. His caress was gentle even though his hand was rough and calloused. He opened his eyes to look at you as he stopped the kiss. You opened your eyes and were met with those sparklingly emerald ones. 

“God, you’re beautiful,” he said.

“You really think so? No one has ever called me that before.”

“Are you OK with this? I mean considering I kidnapped you. I don’t want you to think that you don’t have a choice.” he said, asking for permission.

“I know that and I want -”

BANG, BANG, BANG

“Come on Dean. Time’s wasting. We need to get on the road.” said Sam loudly.

Dean hung his head into the crook of your neck and groaned. “Damnit.”

“I’ll be here when you get back,” you said and pulled him into a tender kiss. Dean kisses you back and then hops up off the bed.

He grabs his duffel bag and adds a few more items of clothes and gets his cell phone and the charger. You get up from the bed and quietly leave the room heading back to the kitchen. Cas is still seated at the kitchen table.

“Everything OK?” he asks.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Dean explained that there could be some dangerous materials and wants me to be extra careful while I’m doing inventory,” you say and sit down at your spot. You pick up your fork and begin to eat your meal. 

“Well that’s why I am here and I can help you.”

“Sounds like a plan, Cas.”

Within minutes, Sam and Dean come into the kitchen to say goodbye. 

“OK guys, we’re heading out. Cas has our cell phone numbers if you need anything or if you have any questions,” says Sam smiling at you.

“We’ll be fine,” Cas says. He notices Dean looking at Diana and her returning the gaze. Diana looks at Dean giving him a private message with her eyes. Dean just smiles slowly as if to say message received.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter: 12

Sam and Dean had been gone for a week. Diana and Cas had worked almost day and some nights on the inventory. The things that she found would start dozens of questions for Cas. He would answer as plainly as possible which usually made Diana laugh, although Cas never saw the humor. She enjoyed their talks. Cas was so easy to talk to. He wasn’t like other men. No playing mind games or acting one way one minute and then doing an about-face the next. Of course, it wasn’t fair to compare Cas with other men, especially Dean. When you weren’t working away on the inventory or getting some sleep, your thoughts would drift to Dean. You were wondering what he was doing, hoping that he was alright, and then wondering why it was always Sam that would call to check in on you. Your thoughts also drifted back to the kisses laying on Dean’s bed. He was so tender and he said you were beautiful. Was he just toying with you to get into your pants? Once he got what he wanted, would that be the end of it? Would he just move onto another female, like the Donna that had called? And out on the road all the time, did he have a woman in every town? Did he save the damsel in distress, and then she was so grateful that she gave herself to him willingly? Stop it, Diana! She always let her thoughts carry her away until she worked herself into a jealous frenzy.   
Castiel rushed into the storage room looking frantic.

“Diana, something terrible has happened and I need to go. Will you be OK until I return?”

“Cas what is it? Is it Sam and Dean?” you asked worriedly.

“No, they’re both fine. It’s a distress call that I’m hearing on angel radio. I promise I will be right back as soon as I can.”

“Yeah, sure. Go ahead.”

“Sam and Dean probably wouldn’t want me to go.”

“Well, they’re not here and can’t stop you. I promised them and you that I’m not leaving, so go.”

“But you might come across something in the boxes. No, I can’t” Cas said, wavering.

“I have an idea. What if I promise not to touch any more items or do inventory in the storage room while you’re gone. I can get started with the documents and files in the library.”  
Cas thinks about it and decides that would be a good alternative.

“OK, but I’ll leave my cell phone here with you in case Sam or Dean calls.”

“What do I tell them when they ask to speak to you?” 

“Make something up. I’ll be back soon.” In a flash, Cas disappeared. You still couldn’t believe that you were friends with an angel.

You collected the notepads, pens, and pencils and your laptop and relocated to the library. You made yourself a sandwich and got bottled water from the fridge, taking it back to the library.  
There were so many books and magazine articles that you didn’t know where to begin. You decided to start on the farthest bookshelf and would work your way through to the other side of the room. You had read, worked, and cataloged books and articles for about 2 hours since Cas left. Suddenly Cas’s phone rang and you looked at the caller ID. You froze as it said “DEAN”.  
You took a deep breath and then answered the phone.

“Hello”

“Diana? Hey, how are you?” Dean said surprised that you had answered instead of Cas.

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“Good. We finished up the case in Minnesota.”

“The guy with the bunny head?” you ask.

“Yeah. It turned out to be a cursed object. When someone would put on these masks, the ghost would possess them and then kill the person that they felt had caused their death.”

“Gross! How did you resolve it?”

“Sam burnt the last object which was a deer head, while I was kicking its ass,” he says laughing.

“Really? How do you fight a ghost?”

“With iron and salt. And a lot of luck.”

“So how’s the inventory going?”

“Good. Long and tedious, though. There is so much stuff.”

“Any surprises?”  
You tense up not wanting to let him know that Cas has left and you’re in the bunker alone.

“No.,” you said trying to stay calm.

“You sure? You didn’t sound too confident.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just a little tired. Cas and I have been burning the midnight oil. There’s been a couple of times that we worked straight through the night.”

“Don’t let him work you too hard. You know he doesn’t eat or sleep.” Dean said.

“I know and when I am tired, I tell him. I go to sleep and he does whatever he does.”

“So where is he? Let me talk to him.”

“Uh, I think he’s in his room.”

“OK. Can you go get him?”

“Well, I’m in the library reading. We each wanted some privacy.”

“OK, but what’s the big deal? Just tell him I need to talk to him.”

“Uh, well, OK.” You sound exasperated. You get up from where you were sitting and start walking to Cas’s room. Hopefully, you will think of some excuse that he will believe.

“So when are you and Sam coming back?” you ask trying to change the subject.

“We’re on the way now.”

“Really? How far out are you?” you ask way too anxiously.

“About 2 hours. Why? Do you need anything? Are we out of milk or more importantly beer?”

“Yes. We need beer, milk, and some bread,” you say quickly.

“Yes, dear. I’ll get it on the way. Anything else? “

“Bring me back some pie.”

“Seriously? You like pie?”

“Honestly? I like cake. Cas told me that you always want pie on road trips.” laughing now.

“What other secrets has he told you about me?”

“I can’t reveal a secret. I promised Cas.”

“You know I have ways of making people talk,” Dean said jokingly but also with a hint of truth.

“I don’t think I would like your interrogation methods, Dean.”

“I don’t know about that. We could try some maybe if you still want to?”

“I’m game if you are,” you say excited and hopeful.

“OK then.” There is a slight pause and then Dean says, “So did you stop to talk or are you still walking toward Cas’s room?”

“OH yeah. I stopped. Sorry. Hey, why don’t you just talk to him when you get back.”

“Because I called his phone to talk to him now. Diana, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. I just thought you’d get here quick if you weren’t concentrating on talking and just driving.”

“Darling, I can drive, talk on the phone, and drink a beer at the same time. Why are you stalling?” Dean sounded serious now.

“I’m not. I’m going to get Cas” you were walking again and hoped that Dean could hear your footsteps. “Cas? Cas?” you called out, so Dean could hear and you hoped that Castiel would hear you calling and pop back in time to take the call.

“Where is he, Diana?” You definitely detected anger building in his voice.

“Maybe he’s in the bathroom.”

“He’s an angel. He doesn’t pee or poop.”

“Maybe he’s showering, in which case I don’t want to see that.” 

“Diana, where is Cas? Are you there alone?” you could hear his anger in each word.  
You didn’t respond. Oh shit! Now, what were you going to say?

“DIANA?” Dean shouted.

“NO. He’s not here.”

“Why did he leave? How long has he been gone?”

“About 2 hours ago. He said he got a message on angel radio. Angels in trouble or something.”

“DAMNIT Cas! 

“Dean I’m fine. I’m still here, nothing has happened. I’m not even taking inventory.”

“Why not?”

“I promised Cas that I wouldn’t do inventory while he was gone. I was going through the books and articles in the library instead.” Diana said sadly. Dean was quiet and it was scaring you.

“Dean?”

“We’ll be there soon.” Then he hung up. 

\---------------

Sam and Dean come back into the bunker and slam the big metal door. They are lugging their duffel bags and Sam is carrying a grocery bag while Dean carries a six-pack of his favorite beer.  
They make their way through the library and then down the hallway toward the kitchen. The smell hits their noses and makes their stomachs react. They enter the kitchen and see Diana bent over getting something out of the oven. 

“Hi, Diana. We’re back”, says Sam happily. He’s trying to help break the tension that exists between you and Dean. Diana turns around with a fresh-baked pie and sets in down on the counter. Dean sees it and opens his mouth but no words come out. 

“Hi, guys! I’m so glad you’re back safe and sound. I thought you would be hungry so I made dinner. Go get unpacked and wash up and I’ll set the table.” you said trying to be cheery. You saw Dean look at you and then at the pie. You thought you saw a slight smile but then he was back to the blank stare and he still hadn’t spoken. Sam puts the grocery bag down and puts the milk in the fridge. 

“Diana, this smells great. Thank you. I’m starving.” He gives you a hug and then grabs his duffel bag and heads to his room. Dean drops his bag and then moves to the fridge and puts the beer inside. He turns and looks at you and still has no expression but you can sense that he’s still angry. He looks away, turning to leave but you reach out for his arm.

“Dean. Please say something, anything, even if it’s in anger,” you said waiting.  
He turns back to you.

“I’m still angry.”

“I know.”

“But not at you. You kept your promise, you’re still here. I’m mad at Cas.”

“Cas was really frantic about what he heard. And he felt like what was happening was connected to the Darkness,” you say trying to make Dean understand.

“He shouldn’t have left you.”

“I’m fine. Nothing happened, and we made a compromise that I would stop taking inventory until he got back. Everything worked out fine, right?”

“Just got lucky I guess. But when he gets back, I’m going to” Diana leans in and kisses Dean’s lips before he can finish his sentence. It wasn’t a long kiss or passionate, but gentle and sweet. She pulled back looking at him.

“What was that for?” he asked, allowing himself to smile.

“Welcome home. I missed you.”

“Thanks. I missed you too.” He then leaned in and kissed you, just as gentle as yours but lasted longer. His arms went around your waist and your fingers intertwined and went around his neck.  
You hear someone clearing their throat. 

“Come on guys, we eat in here,” says Sam acting grossed out but he’s smiling at you both.

“Yeah, yeah, Sammie,” Dean says. “Let me go put my stuff up and then we’ll eat. And there’s pie!” he said, not able to contain his excitement.

Dean leaves and Sam helps Diana get the food out on the counter. Diana decided to make a simple meal of baked chicken, with mashed potatoes, and green beans. The apple pie was a peace offering and meant especially for Dean. You hoped it would soften his mood but you had accomplished that on your own. The table was set and plates were prepared by the time Dean returned. He got everyone a beer and grabbed his plate and sat down beside you. He dug in and started chewing and then looked at you. 

“Oh my God! This is delicious!” Dean says.

“Thanks! It was hard growing up without a mom to teach me how to cook, but dad did his best. I watched cooking shows and read cookbooks and always wanted to try different recipes. So I guess it was a natural talent.” you said between bites.

“Well, it’s great! Much better than the greasy, diner food we get on the road,” Sam added.

“That’s for sure,” Dean said. “It’s hard to sneak up on a vampire when you’re burping or reek of garlic.”

“That’s a myth, Dean. Vampires aren’t repelled by garlic.” 

“Sam, dang it. Diana didn’t know that.”

“Well, I know what she’ll be repelled by. Your extra onions on every burger you order.”

“Oh really?” you say looking at Dean grinning.

“I always have some mints handy,” he says winking at you.

“Diana, so what did Cas tell you about why he needed to leave?”

“He just said that he got a distress call from some angels and he felt like it was connected to the Darkness. I hope he’s OK. It’s been several hours since he left.”

“We’ll reach out to him. If he doesn’t answer or show up soon, we’ll go looking for him,” said Sam.

“Maybe there will be something on the internet that will give us a clue. We’ll check after dinner,” said Dean. The boys continued talking about the Darkness and how they were going to be able to find her and lock her away again. They shared some of what they know and wondered if you had come across any information that would help them. You said you hadn’t but now that you knew what they were up against, you would make that your top priority. You shared that going through the library books and articles would take longer because you were so fascinated with the subjects. You could sit and read for hours.

Sam and Dean took their pieces of pie into the Library. They opened up their laptops to search for anything that would hint about Cas’s whereabouts. Diana stayed to clean up the kitchen. Dean insisted on helping you but you knew he had to be tired and wanted him to go sit and relax.  
Dean took his first bite of apple pie and he said, “Sammie, I think I’m in love.”

“Dean. WOW! You’ve never fallen for a girl this fast before.”

“I’m talking bout this pie!” he said while chewing.

“Man. You’re the worst. But you really should think about it. She’s smart, funny, and she can kick your ass if you get out of line.” Sam says.

“And she can cook and bake. And she’s so pretty.” Dean just stares straight ahead.

“I’m happy for you Dean. You can have a real relationship with her.”

“Not really Sam. You know how we live our lives, always on the road. I can’t ask Diana to stay here forever waiting for me to come back from a hunt.”

“Dean, shouldn’t you let that be her choice?”

“She’s just caught up in the excitement of doing the inventory because the items are part of her life’s study. Man, she’s so smart. She’s out of my league. She’s more your type little brother.”

“Maybe, but it sure looks like she’s only got eyes for you.”

“It won’t last and we both know it. We’ll enjoy it while we can. She’ll help us get a full inventory of this place and then, she’ll leave and never look back.”

“Dean, how can you say that? I see how she looks at you. I think she’s starting to fall in love with you.”

“It’s just lust. I’ll scratch that itch and then she’ll move on.”

“Dean you’re a cold son of a bitch.” Dean gets up and crosses to the liquor table, grabs a bottle of whiskey and pours himself a glass.

“Yep, that’s me. Love em and leave em,” he says and then takes a sip.

“So what was all of that in the car? You were so angry at Cas for abandoning her and you were worried about her safety.”

“Just didn’t want to come back and have to clean up a mess. I just want to keep everything simple. No strings attached.”

“You’re an idiot! If you already know that it won’t last or that you’re not going to give it a chance, then cool it with her. Don’t toy with her emotions!”, Sam said getting angry.

“Sammie, if I didn’t know better, I’d think that you have feelings for Diana.”

“No, I don’t, but she’s nice and doesn’t deserve mixed signals from you.”

“I don’t know. You did say she was more your type than mine.”

“Oh shut up. Jerk!”

“Back at ya, bitch!” 

Diana came in to hear the name-calling between the brothers. “Hey? What’s up with you two?”

“Just our usual brotherly love, babe.”

“Any luck in finding Cas?” you ask and sit down in front of your laptop.

“Nothing yet,” Sam says.

“Well, I’m here to help. Back to the books.” Dean comes over to you and touches your shoulder.

“Hey, I’m really tired. Do you mind if I go to bed?”

“No, that’s fine. Get some sleep.” you say smiling up at him. He leans down giving you a quick kiss.

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. I promise.” Dean says and then looks over at Sam who just gives his brother an icy stare.

“Night.” Diana watches Dean leave the room and then realizes that Sam is watching her.

“Sorry, Sam. I guess this is kind of awkward for you. This thing happening between me and Dean.”

“Yeah, a little but I’m used to it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dean is quite the ladies man. Everywhere we go, the women practically throw themselves at him.”

“Oh. Uh, do you think that’s what I’m doing?”

“No. No, that’s not what I meant. This situation is totally different. I mean we brought you here against your will but then we kind of won you over. We’ve been nice to you and haven’t hurt you, and we never will. It happens. You know the Stockholm Syndrome. You fall for your captor.”

“You think that’s what’s happening with me and Dean?” you ask starting to get upset.

“Yeah, kinda. Come on Diana? Can you seriously tell me that if you had met Dean in a bar, and he came on to you, that you would say yes?”  
Diana looked at Sam now, giving some thought to what he had just said.

“I honestly don’t know.” You turn away from Sam and go back to your book.

Sam felt bad about the things that he was saying to you and he knew you were thinking hard about it. If Dean was just going to treat you like another sexual conquest, then he wanted you to be prepared and protect yourself from a broken heart.

“Hey, Diana?”

“Yeah.”

“I really am glad that you’re here helping us.”

“Me too Sam. And I do mean that. Not because of Dean or because of the wealth of spiritual information you have here. It’s because of what you guys do for people.”


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter: 13

Dean’s POV

Amara was standing in front of him. She reached out her hand and touched his face. Instead of a cold dead touch, he felt the warmth and electricity that seemed to radiate from her. She was dressed in a long black dress with a halter top that exposed the perfect amount of cleavage. He felt the familiar yearning in his groin. 

“We’re bound, Dean. You released me and now we can be together for all eternity. We can rule over this pathetic world together. We can destroy anyone or anything that doesn’t bow down to us.”

From a distance, you see a man and woman coming toward you. As they near, you realize that it’s Sam and Diana. 

“Hey, guys. What are you doing here?” you say happy to see them.

“We came to do what you weren’t able to do. Kill Amara. She’s evil and she has to be stopped.” Sam says. He then lunges past you with the machete raised ready to strike. Amara stretches out her hand and a lightning bolt bursts forth and hits Sam in the chest. He screams out.

“STOP Amara! NO!” Dean screams. It’s too late and Sam’s burnt body falls to the ground.

“You evil bitch! Dean may have freed you when the mark was removed from his arm, but he’ll never love you, the way he loves me. He has my heart and my soul!” Diana says.

Amara just laughs and begins to walk towards Diana. Dean is standing in between the two women that he feels connected to, but he is confused. He’s also afraid of making a commitment and afraid of losing them. His inability to make a decision has paralyzed him in place. Amara stands in front of Dean now. She kisses him tenderly and then pulls back saying, “This won’t take long.” 

Amara steps around Dean and grabs Diana by the throat. She drags her back in front of Dean, who still can’t move. He can only watch in horror. 

“Dean, do you love this woman? Do you want me to spare her life?”

Dean is gripped with fear. He doesn’t know how to answer. He opens his mouth but no words come out. He’s speechless and powerless to help you.

“I’ve decided to give you a gift Dean. It’s something that already belongs to you anyway.” Amara declares. With that, she thrusts her hand into Diana’s chest and rips out her heart. Amara releases her grip on Diana’s lifeless body and it falls to the ground in a heap at your feet.

“NO! NO!” Dean screams again.

He sits straight up in the bed, gasping for air. His heart and head were pounding at a steady rhythm. He leaned his legs off the bed and put his head into his hands. This change of position caused his stomach to lurch and he thought he would vomit. He had finished off the bottle of whiskey last night passing out from exhaustion and the alcohol. He laid back on the bed willing the room to stop spinning. After a few minutes, he eased up into a seated position and the effects were not as bad. He stood up and left his room making his way to the bathroom. As he passed Diana’s room, the door was closed and he wondered if she was still sleeping. Not now, his bladder told him and he obeyed. He decided a hot shower would help so he stripped off his clothes and leaned against the shower wall for support. He let the hot water drip down his body. His favorite part of the shower was the water pressure but now it was pelting down on his head creating a drum beat. He hurriedly finished the shower and turned the water off. He grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair and then wrapped it around his waist. He walked slowly back to his room carrying his clothes. As he approached Diana’s room, her door opened and she came out fully dressed. She seemed shocked to see you standing naked in front of her, still glistening wet with only a towel wrapped around your waist.

“Dean. Enjoy your shower?” she asked. She tried to look you in the eyes but you noticed her stealing downward glances.

“No.” you practically growled back at her. “Head is throbbing. I’m nauseous and hungry all at the same time.”

“Hangover?”

You nod slowly, closing your eyes.

“OK. Go get dressed and then come to the kitchen. I’ll make you my dad’s special hangover remedy.”

“OK. Give me 10 minutes. If I’m not out by then, come make sure I haven’t died.” you say and continue walking to your room. Diana hasn’t moved and you know she’s watching your butt swaying underneath the towel.

\--------------------

Oh my God! What is happening to you? After talking with Sam last night, you had decided to take a step back and tell Dean that you wanted to slow things down. It really hadn’t occurred to you that you were exhibiting signs of the classic Stockholm Syndrome until Sam mentioned it. You had always wondered how someone could fall in love with the person who had kidnapped them, but here you were being drawn to Dean. You had made up your mind that you would tell him later today. And then you open the door and he’s standing in front of you naked and wet, and looking so sexy! Your heart did a flip and crashed against your chest. You tried to focus on his face but you couldn’t help yourself to take a peek at his muscled pecs, flat stomach, and the towel hanging precariously around his hips and waist. If he hadn’t been hungover, you would have let him push you back into your room and continue what he had started over a week ago.   
Now you knew that couldn’t happen. You had to talk to him; make him understand that your relationship had to remain uncomplicated, just friends, or just coworkers. That’s not right either! How can you describe what your relationship with Dean is if you don’t know what you want or where it’s going? And how does he feel about you? You were lost in your thoughts as you entered the kitchen. Sam was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal.

“Morning Diana,” he said. “How’d you sleep?”

You walk on the past and head to the fridge to get bottled water for Dean.

“Diana?” Sam said a little louder.

“Oh hey, Sam.”

“You OK?”

“Yeah just thinking about some stuff.” You also get out some tomato juice, tabasco sauce, and lime from the fridge.

“What are you making?” Sam asks confused at the ingredients you had assembled.

“My dad’s special hangover cure. It works every time. Dean’s in bad shape.”

“Looks like Uncle Bobby’s hangover cure, except without the bacon and eggs.”

“You know, my dad started drinking around that time, so it probably is Bobby’s recipe. I think I’ll let Dean try this first before giving him any food.”

“Why?”

“Because every time, my dad or I ever used it, we always threw up.”

“Oh, I gotta see this.” Sam gets up from the table and follows you back to Dean’s room. You knock on the door.

“Dean are you still with us?”

“Barely”, he says from the other side of the door.

“Are you dressed?”

“Yes, come on in.” You open the door juggling the hangover cure and the bottled water to see Dean sitting on the edge of his bed. He’s dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black and a red flannel shirt. He notices Sam behind you grinning.

“What’s with the goofy grin?” he asks his brother.

“Just wanted to make sure you’re gonna be OK,” he said trying not to laugh. Diana goes to Dean handing him the water. 

“Drink some of the water first. It’ll help.”

Dean opens the bottle and turns it up, drinking about half of the bottle before lowering it. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“OK, are you ready for the hangover cure?”

Dean looks at the glass and the red liquid inside it. “What’s in it?”

“Just drink it, and stop being a baby. You want to feel better don’t you?”

He takes the glass and looks at it and then at you and Sam. He sniffs it and decides to go for it.  
He tips it up and starts to drink. He stops and coughs.

“Uncle Bobby’s hangover cure?”

“Yep. Drink it all.” He obeys and finishes the last drop. He reaches back for the water as the tabasco sauce is burning his tongue. He drinks the rest of the water and then looks back at you and Sam.

“Now what?”

“That depends on how much you had to drink last night, and how long it takes to kick in,” Diana says.

“I think you should step back Diana. He’s about to blow in 4, 3, 2” grins Sam waiting for Dean to bolt. Dean’s eyes widen and he jumps up and makes a run for the bathroom holding his hand over his mouth. 

“And 1.” Sam is laughing now and follows him just for the joy of hearing his brother wretching his guts out. 

You shake your head at how these grown men are so childish at times, but you know they really love each other. It’s hard to fathom the things that they have faced in their lifetime: their mom being killed by a demon, dad turning to hunt to get revenge, and then teaching them to hunt monsters as well. Then Dean was at death’s door after a car accident but his father gave up his life to save his son. Then Sam is killed and Dean makes a deal with a demon trading his life for his brother’s. It’s all about sacrificing themselves for the other one and sometimes for a complete stranger. And now, battling the Darkness who you had no idea existed. With that thought, it was back to the books. You went back to the kitchen and rinsed out Dean’s glass. You got yourself to water and an apple and headed to the library. The guys finally came in and you looked up. Dean still looked a little green but he nodded at you and said “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

They settled into their usual seats at the table and checked their laptops. Hours passed without anyone talking. You finally yawned and stretched your arms above your head. You got up and announced that you were going to take a break and excused yourself heading to your room.

Sam waited for at least 20 minutes, to make sure Diana wasn’t coming back in.

“Dean I need to talk to you about something,” Sam said seriously.

Dean looked up from his laptop. “K. Shoot.”

“You know I told you that I’ve been having some visions.”

“Yeah.”

“Well. I think we should go to see Lucifer. Maybe he can help us with the Darkness.”

“NO!”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s crazy, OK. It’s not gonna happen. How many times do I have to say that it’s a horrible idea?”

“About as many times as I have to say, OK, then what else have we got? Listen, I’m all ears. Ordinarily, I’d agree with you but the visions only happen when I reach out to God. I asked Him for a way to beat the Darkness and the visions got more specific. And I was in the cage.”

“Yeah with Lucifer. The biggest monster ever hatched.”

“Yeah, Lucifer was the biggest monster ever hatched until you and I hatched one that was even worse. Listen in the vision Lucifer touches me and I feel calm like things will be alright. It’s not something I would ever come up with, and it’s the last thing I want.”

“And if Lucifer touched you, it would be the last thing you’d think. Ever!” Dean said angrily.  
“Why would God even ask you this? What proof do we even have that this is real?” Dean continues.

“There was a burning bush.”

“A burning bush?”

“Like in the Bible,” Sam says. Dean just shrugs.

“You were in a forest. There are bushes there, and sometimes they burn. You know man, maybe there is something to it all.”

“Maybe.”

“And maybe there’s not.” 

“Dean, doesn’t it make sense? Lucifer would know how God ended the Darkness. He was there.”

Dean just shakes his head. 

\--------------

Dean goes to check on Diana since she hasn’t been seen for hours. He knocked on her door but got no answer. 

“Diana?” he said. He turned the doorknob and it opened. He slowly pushed the door open and called her name again. He peeked in and saw her curled up on the bed asleep. He quietly made his way out and closed the door. 

When Diana finally returned to the library, Dean was sitting at the table checking the internet on his laptop. 

“Hey sleepyhead,” he said.

“Dean. I am so sorry. I was just going to catch a quick cat nap. I guess I was more tired than I realized.” you said sitting down across from him.

“It’s fine. You’ve been working day and night trying to figure out this crazy situation. You’re only human.” he said smiling at you.

“Where’s Sam?”

“Supply run. If there’s anything special you want, he said to text him a list.”

“OK, I will.” You get your phone out and text Sam a few things that you would like and then set it aside.

“Thanks for the save this morning,” Dean said.

“Sure, no problem. You feeling better?”

“Yeah. I am.” He looks back at the screen. You go back to your laptop but peek over the top to glance at Dean. You need to talk to him but you don’t know how to start.

“Hey, Uhm, can we talk?” you finally ask after a few minutes.

“Sure. What’s on your mind?” he says, closing his laptop. You push yours aside and then look into his beautiful green eyes.

“So we’ve kind of been flirting around with each other and it’s been nice.”

“I think so. In fact, I think we were going to pick up where we left off a week ago.”

“Yeah about that. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’m not comfortable with it.”

Dean’s face changed immediately and it was almost as if you had slapped him. 

“Oh. OK, then.”

“It’s just that everything has happened so fast. And we didn’t meet in the usual way. I mean you kidnapped me. I wasn’t given a choice in the matter.”

“I know but I asked you if you wanted to and you said,” Dean said feeling attacked now.

“I didn’t get a chance to say because we were interrupted. I’m really glad that we were.”

“Yeah. Me too!”

“Wait a minute. Why are you getting so angry? I’m trying to tell you how I feel.” Diana said confused at his reaction. Dean stands up now.

“I think you’ve made your point. You were playing out some little fantasy but then you came to your senses and realized that you’re too high class for a low-life hunter.”

“Dean? No that’s not what I’m saying at all.”

“Don’t worry about it. I get the message. I’ll give you your space from now on.” He grabs his laptop and heads for his room. You jump when you hear the door slam. You sit there in shock wondering how he had thought that you weren’t interested in him at all. You had only wanted to slow things down. You knew he was a player and Sam had confirmed that for you. You just didn’t want to be another notch on his bedpost.

\-----------------

Sam returned with the groceries. You helped him put them away in the kitchen.

“Where’s Dean?” he asked.

“Uh, he still wasn’t feeling 100% so he turned in,” you said trying not to let on that anything happened between you and Dean.

“Doesn’t sound like Dean going to bed before 10:00, but he was in bad shape.”

You don’t answer but just continue to put the food away. You open the box of microwave popcorn and unwrap it and squish it between your fingers redistributing the butter and corn kernels. You put it in the microwave and select the “Popcorn” keypad.

“Want some?” you ask Sam.

“Sure. Hey, you want to watch a movie or something?”

“You saying take a night off, instead of hitting the books or searching the web?”

“Yeah. You crashed earlier today. Sooner or later it catches up with you. I think we’ve both earned it.” he says smiling at you. 

“Alright. Let me finish up the popcorn and get us some beers. You set up the show.”  
Sam settles in at the table and looks through his Netflix account for a good movie. You come in carrying a big bowl of popcorn and 2 beers.

“Comedy or Romcom?”

“Comedy, please.”

You place the bowl on the table in between you and then sit down handing Sam his beer. Sam selects the Jim Carrey movie, Yes Man.

“Have you seen this?”

“No, and I love Carrey. He’s so funny.”

You both settle in eating popcorn, drinking your beers, and laughing at the movie. As the movie goes on, as with any good movie, there’s always a love interest for the star. He meets a girl, they spend some time together, he likes her, he doesn’t know if she likes him, then they have a fight and they don’t see each other for a period of time. You’re such a softie when it comes to watching movies, TV shows, or hell, sometimes a commercial if it’s filled with enough emotion, the waterworks will start. You shift your angle so that Sam won’t see you crying. It works for a little while until he hears you sniffle.

“Awww. Diana. You really get into the movie plot don’t you?” Sam asks sweetly.

“I can’t help it Sam. I’m a big crybaby,” you say wiping your tears from your eyes.

“I think it’s cute. Wait till I tell Dean.” Without meaning to, you stiffen and your face hardens into a frown at the mention of his name. “Oh, OK, I won’t tell him, I promise.”  
You turn away and the tears pool up in your eyes again.

“No Sam, it’s not that.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“After our little talk the other night, I got to thinking about what you said. I don’t want to be one of those women that fall for their captor. I mean, what the hell was I thinking?”

“Diana, oh wait, I” Sam tries to cut in.

“I was trying to tell him that I wanted to talk about what we’re doing; what it means to us. I just wanted to tell him that I wanted to slow things down, but he misunderstood. He thought I wasn’t interested anymore.” 

“Diana, seriously, let me explain.”

“He got so angry because he thought I was rejecting him. And then he turned it back on me saying that he knew there was no way some high-class bitch would be interested in a low life hunter. “

“Oh, man! Diana, I’m sorry that you and Dean got into a fight but I “ Sam was trying to explain and calm you down but you were getting madder by the minute.

“And he’s got a nerve to judge me like that. He’s a player, you even said so. He hits on the drop-dead gorgeous types and that’s not me. Oh but he doesn’t care because any female, even if it’s the only female around will do for him! Just gonna flash that smile, wink and call me sweetheart!” Diana gets up then.

“Diana wait. Let’s calm down and talk this out.” Sam said pleadingly. 

“Sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to ruin movie night but I can’t sit here and watch anymore especially because I know they’ll end up together and live happily ever after. Well real life doesn't work like that, at least it hasn’t for me.” Diana takes her beer and heads off towards her room. 

After Diana left, Sam cleaned up, turning off the movie and taking the bowl of popcorn to the kitchen. He was going to just head to bed but he couldn’t help but feel guilty about what Diana had said earlier. He knew how his brother was when it came to women but he also knew when Dean was truly falling for someone it didn’t happen often. In fact, the last woman he loved had been Lisa and that ended in disaster. Making up his mind he headed towards his brother’s room and knocked on the door. Hearing a “yeah” from the other side, he opened the door to see his brother lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. Dean turned his head looking at his brother.

“What do you want Sam?”

“Did you seriously call her a bitch?”

“What -what are you talking about!”

“Diana. She’s distraught over whatever you said to her. It hurt her.”

“Well she’s better off without me ...everyone’s probably better off without me.”

“Dean, what are you talking about? What did you two say to each other?”

“None of your business Sam. So unless there’s something else you need please leave.”

“Yes, it is my business, Dean. It was my idea to bring her here in the first place. And then you two start flirting with each other. Now I don’t really care. You’re both consenting adults. But when you start playing with her emotions and get her thinking that you really care and then just suddenly turn it off.”

“Hold up. She told you I turned it off. Hell no! She jerked the rug out from under me. I was ready to seal the deal.”

“Yeah, just like you always do. Between her legs,” Sam spat out.  
Dean bolted up from the bed and got up in Sam’s face.

“Watch your mouth little bro.”

“Bring it!”

Dean just stared at him. “Fuck you! It’s not worth it,”

“Really Dean? It’s not worth it. No you mean it’s not worth talking about it. Doing the hard things to express your feelings for someone. Just like with Jo. You never acted on those feelings and then it was too late. She died helping us.”

“Sam.” Dean’s jaw was clenched tight and the fire was heating up inside him now.

“But then there was Lisa. She loved you and she helped you when I was gone. You had a shot at a normal life but you couldn’t commit to it, to her or to Ben. Did you ever say it? Did you tell her you loved her?”

Dean punched Sam square in the nose sending him backward and landing on the floor. 

“Dammit, Sam. I told you never to say her name.” Sam got up with blood trickling from his nose. He charged at his brother slamming into his body causing them to crash against the wall. The two began to wrestle against each other. They began hitting each other blow for blow until they were bruised and bloodied. 

“What the hell are you two doing? “ Diana said.

Dean looked over as he was about to hit his brother again seeing Diana standing there in the doorway. Sam took the opportunity to push his brother off him wiping blood from his mouth using his shirt sleeve. 

Sam stood up and walked toward Diana. “Just a little disagreement. Don’t worry. It’s not worth it. Right, Dean?” Sam says glaring. Dean moves toward him again but Diana steps in between the boys.

“Stop it! Come on, guys. Whatever it is, you need to work this out. Just cool off and talk it out. That’s the only way to resolve things.” she said.

“I couldn’t agree more. In fact, let’s all three of us do that,” said Sam.

Dean looked down at the floor and then up again. Diana seemed confused at Sam’s comment.

“Okay,” Diana said sitting on Dean’s bed cross-legged. “So what were you two arguing about?” 

“Relationships,” Sam said blankly. Dean sighed looking anywhere but at you. 

“I can understand that sibling rivalry is tough sometimes.”

“No not us. I confronted Dean about what he called you earlier and told him how it hurt you.” Sam said.

“Yeah and for the record I NEVER called you a bitch,” Dean said defiantly.

“Oh. I thought we were talking confidentially Sam.” You then turned to look at Dean.   
“And you may have not said the actual word, but that’s how it made me feel.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Dean added.

“And what is your intention? That’s what I was trying to find out. But you blew up at me for no reason.”

“Excuse me. You said you were glad that we stopped before anything else happened and that you weren’t interested in me anymore.”

“No. I said I was glad that we didn’t take things further before we determined what our relationship is, and where it’s going. Or that’s what I was going to say.” Diana stands up and goes to stand in front of Dean.

“So you do have feelings for me?” Dean asked hesitantly, not wanting to know the answer.

You reach up and touch his face gently, “Yes, I do. And that’s why I wanted to talk to you because it scared me. I haven’t been in a relationship in 3 years. And it didn’t end well. I guess that’s why I’ve not cared to get involved with anyone. It hurts too much.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you had come to your senses and just wanted to end it before it got started. And I’m not good at sharing my feelings and stuff.” Dean reaches out and takes Diana’s other hand in his. He caresses the side of it with his thumb and looks into your eyes.

“I have feelings for you too, and if you want to try again, I promise I’ll try to talk to you and tell you what I’m thinking and, uh, god, feeling.” Dean lets out a long sigh. That makes Diana laugh a little because she sees that Dean is trying even though it’s hard for him. 

“You’re so cute.”

“Am I forgiven?”

“Yes,” you say and then move toward him for a kiss. Dean moves closer until his lips meet yours. It’s that same soft kiss like the first one, but this one seems more meaningful since you’ve both cleared the air. You hear Sam clapping and saying “Ahhhhh”, behind you.  
You and Dean break the kiss to turn toward Sam now.

“Sam this all could have been avoided if you hadn’t jumped into the middle from the start,” Diana said.

“Hey, I just helped you guys talk it out and get back together.”

“And now, you can jump back out. We don’t need a third wheel,” said Dean.

“Well wait a minute. There’s still something else that needs to be resolved,” you said.  
Diana goes to Sam taking him by the hand and guides him back over to Dean. “You guys depend on each other to have each other’s back. So apologize to each other.”

“Seriously?” Dean says. “We blow off steam like this from time to time.”

“Do it!”

“Sorry, Sam. I lost my temper.” Dean says.

“I’m sorry too. I pushed your buttons.”

“Now hug”, you say grinning. Dean and Sam make a face but then come toward each other with you in the middle. Everyone laughs and all is well again.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter:14 

The next morning had come and Dean awoke in a good mood. He had an idea and was in search of Diana. She wasn’t in her room, or the bathroom, or the kitchen, or the library. He started to get concerned but then he headed to the storage room. Diana was seated at the desk cataloging inventory again.

“Hey. I’ve been looking for you,” he said approaching the desk.

“I’m right here. I woke up early and decided to get started back in here. I’ve kinda missed seeing all the cool stuff.” you said grinning at him.

“I’m gonna have to keep an eye on you,” he said teasing. She just smiled and then went back to her work. 

“So I had an idea and wanted to see if you were up for it.”

“OK, what’s up?”

“Would you like to go out on a date with me?” asks Dean grinning nervously.

“A date? Like outside the bunker? In town?” Diana said enthusiastically.

Dean smiled and thought he already had his answer. “Yes.”

“Yes, I would love to.”

“Good. Be ready to leave around 6:00.” Dean said getting up ready to let you get back to work.

“Where are we going and how should I dress?” you ask intrigued.

“It’s a surprise but clothing is optional.” he joked.

“Dean. I guess it’ll be jeans and a t-shirt then unless I should wear my red dress?”

“No, nothing fancy.” And then he left the room. OMG! You were going on a date with Dean! And you were going to get outside of the bunker. 

\---------------

Sam and Dean spent a typical day in the bunker. Dean cleaned all of his guns making sure they were in working order. He also cleaned and sharpened all of his knives and machetes. When he finished that, he went to see what Sam was doing. Sam was in his usual spot in the library scanning his laptop. 

“Anything?” he asked before taking a seat.

“Nope. This is unsettling. It’s almost like the monsters are hiding out because they know something even worse is amongst them now.” Sam remarked.

“Hey, I’m not complaining about it because I’ve got a date.”

“What? Seriously.” Sam said smiling at his brother.

“Gonna get some food. And then, huh, uhm, well I don’t know. I haven’t been on a date since high school.” Dean now looked worried. His usual time with ladies included meeting up in a bar and then going back to her place or a motel room. Since the talk, Dean knew that Diana wanted to take things slow, so he had no idea how they would spend their time. “Sam, where should I take her?”

“I thought you had it planned out.” Sam said.

“We could go to the Main Street Bar and get some burgers and shoot some pool.”

“No, Dean. It needs to be more special than that.”

“Go get a pizza and then drive out to the lake?”

“And do what? Dean, she wants to take things slow. That won’t happen with you in the Impala by moonlight.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Dean was trying to think of something but everything he thought of Sam would shoot down. Finally, Sam did a search and started giving Dean a few suggestions.

“A movie?”

“No. Takes too long, in the dark, and I’ll fall asleep.”

“Bowling?”

“No. You know I hate those stupid shoes.”

“Here’s something. There’s a new fad called Escape Rooms. You get locked in a room and you have to solve clues in order to find a way to escape out of the room. Sounds like fun.”

“Sounds like a real-life situation for us. I don’t know. But that’s the best one so far.”

“Well. You could ask her what she’s in the mood to eat. And then go with that. Then you could suggest the Escape room and see if she’s interested.”

“Yeah. That works for me. Thanks Sammie.”

“Dean, just talk to her. She probably won’t care where you go and what you do as long as you treat her nicely and show her how much you like her.”

“Man, this is gonna be a whole new experience for me.”

\---------------

Diana had worked continuously and hadn’t even stopped for lunch. She glanced at her phone and saw that it was 5:05. Oh shit! She needed to get ready. She repacked the box that she was working on and put it back on the shelf. She closed her laptop and took it back to her room to charge. She selected a pair of jeans and a clean shirt and clean underwear. She wondered if Dean would be willing to let her go by her apartment for some more clean clothes. She would ask. She rushed down the hall to Dean’s room and knocked on the door. He opened the door and was glad to see you.

“Hey”

“Hi. I just wanted to let you know that I’m getting ready to shower.”

“You want me to join you?”

“No. I’m telling you so I have some privacy. OK?”

“Yeah sure.”

“So when I’m ready I’ll come out to the library.” Diana then rushes off. Dean looks out into the hallway and sees her running back to her room. At least she seems excited.

Diana showered quickly with the lilac body wash that she had come to love. She dried off and then put on her robe and then walked back to her room. She dressed in the preselected outfit and combed through her wet hair. She wished that the guys had brought her some make-up but she wasn’t going to worry about it now. She put on her tennis shoes and tied the laces. She looked at herself in the mirror. Ready or not, here I come Dean.

Diana was so happy to be outside of the bunker and riding in the front seat of the Impala beside Dean. She seemed to be taking in all the sights as if it was the first time. They drove into Lebanon and right through Main Street. Diana’s eyes were beaming as she remembered the places she had been. Dean let Diana select what they would eat. She wanted Chinese so they went to Wongs on the corner. They enjoyed a nice meal and surprisingly they talked non-stop. They didn’t talk about the Darkness, or inventory, or even Sam. They shared more information about their lives, their likes and dislikes, and even their dreams. Diana wanted to know if he wasn’t a hunter, what would he do. He immediately said a mechanic. He loved cars. He told her all about Baby but told her not to be jealous. Dean paid the bill and then he asked her if she would like to go to an Escape Room. Diana said yes but he could tell she really wasn’t into being locked up for an hour. Dean realized that it probably reminded her of those first few days in the bunker. Again he asked her what she wanted to do. She immediately asked if they could go to her apartment. She wanted to get a few more items and some clean clothes. Dean said sure. He drove to her place and they went in. She had a lot of mail and she looked through it while Dean sat on the couch drinking a beer. She chose some more clothes and picked out some nicer things to wear. She also collected her make-up bag and a few of her personal items from the bathroom and her bedroom. She sat on her bed and it felt so comfortable to her. She looked up and saw Dean standing in the doorway looking at her. 

“Are you OK?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just a little tired.” she said and then realized “but not from being with you.”  
Dean came and sat down on the bed beside you. He brushed a strand of hair out of your face and curved it behind your ear. He leaned in and softly pressed his lips to yours. You responded back to his kiss. He pulled back to look at you and ran his hand along your cheek. He thought you felt warm and looked flushed.

“Do you feel OK? I’m not joking. You feel warm like you have a fever.” he said concerned.

“Is this your way of asking to play doctor?” you said grinning.

“No, come on Diana. I’m serious.”

“I’m just tired. I’ll get a good night’s sleep and be fine tomorrow.”

“Just a thought. Would you like to stay here tonight? Sleep in your own bed.”

“And where would you sleep?”

“On the couch.” You looked at Dean and he didn’t seem to have an agenda. Didn’t say or in your bed. He was being very sweet.

“No. It’s OK. I want to go back to the bunker.”

“OK. Let’s go.”

Diana didn’t sleep well. Dean was right; she was sick. Her fever rose and her throat was on fire. She had a headache and she started sneezing and coughing. She had gotten up and went to the bathroom several times throughout the night. She finally drifted off to sleep around 5 am. Sam, who typically gets up early to go for a run, heard her coughing. By the time Sam returned to the bunker, Dean was up fixing breakfast. Sam showered and dressed and then returned to the kitchen. 

“Hey. Have you checked on Diana this morning?” Sam asked.

“No, why?” Dean said, pouring him a cup of coffee.

“She’s sick. I heard her coughing when I got up.”

“I thought she was getting sick last night. We stopped by her place because she wanted to get some more clothes and she felt warm. She said she was just tired. I offered that we could stay there so she could sleep in her own bed, but she wanted to come back here.”

“And were you offering to sleep with her in your arms, Dean?” Sam teased.

“No. I told her that I would sleep on the couch. I was a perfect gentleman.”

“Wow. I’m proud of you Dean.” 

Just then his phone rang and he answered. It was Crowley. He was ready to help the boys have a chat with Lucifer. Dean still thought it was a crazy idea but they hadn’t come up with another plan. They ate quickly, wrote Diana a note that they would be back soon, and left. Crowley had agreed to grant Sam a meeting with Lucifer. Crowley enlists the help of Rowena to ward the cage with a spell to contain Lucifer’s powers. Rowena says she’ll help but needs the Book of the Damned and the Codex. Sam and Dean decide to take her back to the bunker. It’s not ideal especially with Diana there, but they’ll make it work. Dean and Sam escort a shackled Rowena into the bunker. They take her to the storage room. They move the bookshelves to reveal a dungeon area with a huge devil’s trap on the floor and iron shackles with spellwork etched into them. Sam places Rowena at a desk and chair. Her wrists are still bound but they aren’t together and she has the freedom to read the book and to write out the spell. She is chained to the floor. Dean goes to check on Diana who is still asleep. They’ll fill her in on their plan later. Dean is in the library checking his laptop when he discovers a mass killing in a church. It’s the first lead on Amara so he decides to go check it out. Dean tells Sam that if they get the spell to wait until he returns. He doesn’t want Sam facing Lucifer alone. 

Dean checks out the crime scene at the church. There’s so much blood and he suspects that Amara was there. He walks out to the sidewalk and across the street is a park. Dean feels like he’s being watched. His phone rings and he sees that Sam is calling him. Before he can answer, he turns and sees Amara. He ignores the call. Amara transports Dean to a vacant field near a lake to talk. Amara approaches Dean and he thinks she’s going to suck out his soul but she kisses him instead and he doesn’t resist. After the kiss, he tries to stab her but the knife shatters into broken pieces of glass. She says that he is meant to be part of her forever. Then 3 angels appear to try and kill her. She kills all of them and then she sends Dean back to the park. The angels in heaven unleash a blast hitting Amara. 

Sam had called Dean to tell him that Rowena had found a warding spell and they were ready to go meet Lucifer. Since Dean hadn’t answered he decided to go ahead without him. Sam is meeting with Lucifer who says he can help with Amara but has to have a host and he wants Sam. Sam refuses. The warding spell from Rowena fades and Sam is now inside the cage with Lucifer. Lucifer tells Sam that the visions weren’t from God but from him. Sam still refuses to agree. Dean tries calling Sam back but he doesn’t answer. Dean is frantic to get back to Sam but on the way, he suddenly becomes dizzy and sick to his stomach. He pulls over and jumps out of the car to vomit. Suddenly Castiel appears to help Dean. He tells him that he’s suffering from angel smiting sickness. Cas says that Amara must be close by and he’s going to find her. Before he goes, Dean tells Cas that he’s still mad at him for abandoning Diana at the bunker but right now he needs to deal with Amara. Dean tells him that if she is dead to bring her body out. Castiel continues into the woods and finds another angel there looking for Amara. They team up and search but the other angel finds Amara. She bends down to see if Amara is dead and Amara grabs her by the throat. Amara consumes her soul which seems to revive and give her more energy. She then sees Castiel and is coming for his soul. She touches his face but then realizes that he isn’t worth it. He has so much self-loathing but she sends him to Hell. Meanwhile, Dean is driving back to find Sam and gets a call from Crowley. He tells him that Sam is in the cage with Lucifer. Dean drives even faster to get back. His thoughts are on his brother, but he also is thinking about the encounter he had with Amara. She said they are bound together and then she kissed him. In that kiss, he felt a connection and something that scared him even more - an attraction to Amara. Then he let his mind drift to Diana and the date. He thought about the kiss he had with her and he knew he had feelings and an attraction to her as well. Dean knew the choice should be automatic. Diana is a real woman in which he could be happy but the pull toward Amara was intoxicating. She wasn’t human but a destructive, evil spirit who was God’s sister. He should be repelled and want to do whatever was necessary to rid the world of her, but he didn’t know if he could resist the temptation to give in to her forever.

\------------

Diana awoke and realized that her fever had broken because her t-shirt felt cold and clammy and the sheet was still damp. She sat up and looked at her phone. It said 9:00 am but that wasn’t what alarmed her. She had slept for almost 28 hours. She got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She decided to shower and then dressed in fresh clean clothes. She felt hungry and went to the kitchen. Neither Sam nor Dean were around. She made herself a PB and j sandwich and a glass of milk and sat down in the kitchen to eat. It was silent throughout the bunker which was creepy to her. She finished her sandwich and went back to her room to get her fully charged laptop. She took it into the storage room to begin her work. She noticed that two whole bookshelves were moved to reveal a larger room. Her eyes widened in shock when she realized that it was a dungeon equipped with shackles and chains. There was a desk with some scribbled writing on a piece of paper. She couldn’t read it but it looked vaguely familiar. She decided to go to the library to see if she could find a book to help her decipher the writing. She found a note laying on the table and it was addressed to you.

Diana,  
We found a lead on Amara and went to investigate. There is hot tea, cough syrup, and tissues in the kitchen for you. Hope you feel better! Back soon.

Sam and Dean

She smiled thinking how sweet these guys were to her, which was weird considering they had kidnapped her and the fact that she had just discovered their dungeon.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter:15

Dean arrives at the entrance to Hell. He is met by Billie, the reaper and she opens the door to Hell for Dean to go meet Crowley. He winds his way down the stairs in the dark carefully until he finds Crowley and Rowena. She has laid out the items for the spell. Suddenly Castiel appears and is ready to help Sam and Dean. He tells them that Amara survived the smiting but she is weak and they need Lucifer’s help. At that moment, they hear Sam screaming as Lucifer is beating him. Dean and Cas run toward the noise. They approach the cage and yell at Lucifer, who snaps his fingers and Cas and Dean are instantly inside the cage as well. Cas attacks Lucifer while Dean goes to help Sam. Lucifer is too powerful for Cas and knocks him down. Before Lucifer hits Cas again, Cas asks him if he can defeat Amara, he says yes and so Cas says Yes to Lucifer. There is a bright light and Lucifer vanishes from sight. Sam, Dean, and Cas then make their way out of Hell. Dean offers Cas a ride back to the bunker but he says he has something to do first and will be along later. Cas returns to talk to Crowley and Rowena. He reveals that he isn’t Castiel but in fact Lucifer. Rowena is smitten and tries to cozy up to the Prince of Darkness. He flirts with her and moves in for a kiss but he snaps her neck instead. Then he tortures Crowley and makes him his pet.

\-------------

Sam and Dean arrive back at the bunker and find Diana doing research in the library. 

“Hi, guys! Welcome home,” she says and then looks up to see Sam’s bloody and bruised face.

“Sam what happened?” she says rushing to him.

“Just part of the job. I’m fine.” Sam says. Sam sits down at the table. 

Dean moves past her and says, “I’m fine too, even though you didn’t ask me.” She gives him a face and then goes back to her seat at the table. 

“Hey, Sam. Were you in the storage room yesterday?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, I went in there this morning to work and was surprised to see a dungeon.”

“Oh, uh, well yeah. We have a dungeon.” Dean came back in the room just in time to hear Sam telling Diana about the dungeon.

“Sam! I thought we weren’t going to tell her about that,” said Dean. He sets down the Tylenol and bottled water in front of Sam.

“Well maybe if we had closed the bookshelves before we left, she wouldn’t know about it,” said Sam popping some pain killers and downing them with the water.

“Yeah, Dean. I’m just thankful you didn’t lock me in there when I first got here.”

“Don’t give me any ideas, sweetheart,” he said and then winked at her.

“So was this piece of paper something you were working on?” you said sliding it across to Sam.  
Sam looks at the paper and realizes that it is Rowena’s scribbling as she worked on the spell. 

“Oh yeah. We already found that, so this is trash,” he said and then balled it up and threw it in the trash can.

“So what does it mean?” you ask still curious. Sam and Dean exchange a glance.

“It’s part of a spell to contain a dangerous being,” Sam said.

“Like for Amara?”

“Yes and no,” he said.

Dean pipes up now. “Diana, sometimes we deal with delicate situations and the less you know, the better for you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We’d feel better if you didn’t know every detail about what we do. For your own protection.”

“I can take care of myself, Dean. And I feel like we’ve had this discussion before. Oh, wait, because we have.”

Dean looks exasperated. “Why do you have to be so stubborn about this?”

“Because I want to help and do my part, as part of the team. If I’m only getting part of the story, then I can’t be as effective.”

“So you want full disclosure on what we’re going after no matter the circumstances?” asked Sam.

“Yes. You needed my help. Well, how can I help if I don’t have all the facts?”

Sam and Dean look at each other and Sam motions for Dean to take the lead.

“We needed a binding spell powerful enough to contain - Lucifer.” 

“Lucifer? As in THE Lucifer? First fallen angel who became Satan?”

“Yes.” Dean saw the shock and a look of real fear on Diana’s face.

“So you’ve seen Lucifer?” she asked looking from one to the other.

“We’ve done more than that,” Dean said. “I’ve fought him, and lost.”

“And I’ve been possessed by him,” Sam said looking ashamed.

“What?”

“About 5 years ago, we had a final showdown called the Apocalypse. Dean was supposed to be the Archangel Michael’s vessel and I was Lucifer’s. Except Dean said no, so the angel Zacheriah tricked our younger brother, Adam into being Michael’s vessel.”

Diana sat there in even more shock. Her mind was working overtime trying to process what she had just been told. Dean reached out and touched her hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

“Diana?” 

She swallowed hard and looked at Dean. “I didn’t believe him.”

“Who?”

“Castiel. That first night when you left on a case, Cas and I talked. He told me how he saved you from Hell, and he told me about the Apocalypse, but I didn’t believe him. I thought he was telling a story kind of like a bedtime story.”

“I wished it had been or just some nightmare we were having. But it’s all true.” Dean said sadly.

“How? Why? Why, you guys? Who decided?”

“GOD,” he said. “According to a reliable source, the Winchester boys were predetermined to fight to the death for the fate of the world.”

“And who was this reliable source?”

“Cupid,” Dean said making a face. “That dude was a hugger.”

Diana laughed but was still reeling from this flood of information. “Oh my God!”

“Yeah, exactly,” said Sam. 

“So what about Castiel? “ you asked.

“What about him?” asked Dean.

“Well, obviously he has been like your guardian angel, protecting you both all this time.”

“No. That’s not been the case. In fact, there have been a few times, when he’s tried to kill us.” said Sam.

“But, I thought you said he was your best friend?”

“He is but it’s not been smooth sailing with him. In the beginning, he was like Heaven’s messenger. Telling us what we were expected to do because God said so. But then being around us and getting to know how and why we make the decisions that we do, he relaxed up and when Sam’s life was on the line, he chose us over his supervisors.” Dean said.

“OK, that was good but how did he try to kill you?”

“One of his superiors, Naomi, thought that Cas was in need of reprogramming, which they did. So they reset him to default and then gave him orders to kill us if we tried to interfere in their business.” Sam said.

“Then what happened?” Diana asked. Sam and Dean looked at each other and then laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“You are. You’re hanging on every word.” Dean says grinning.

“It’s amazing. Angels and demons, God, and Lucifer. And you both are in the middle of everything. Fighting to save all the innocent people who have no idea they were ever in danger.”

“Unfortunately,” said Dean looking away. He got up and walked out of the room.

Diana just watched Dean walk away. She looked at Sam. “What’s wrong with Dean?”

“It’s not you. It just gets to each of us at different times. Too much reminiscing; makes us think about all that we’ve seen, and done, and how many people we’ve lost over the years.”

“I’m sorry Sam. I didn’t think of it like that.”

“I know. It’s OK. Give him some time and then he’ll come back around.”

\--------------

Sam and Diana spent the rest of their time researching and looking for any clues on Amara’s location or possible ways to defeat her. They also knew that Lucifer was out of the cage and that he was always a threat to them. Dean stayed in his room for the rest of the day. You couldn’t even tempt him out with pie. You still felt bad that you had been so fascinated by their stories that you didn’t make the connection that this was their life. Always off on a case, putting their lives on the line, and never having time to enjoy it. Sam and Dean were the only family they had left. They made friends occasionally; some even that they accepted as family like Bobby and Castiel. But living the hunting life didn’t leave room for dating or making a love connection; at least not for more than one night. You wondered if you were the reason that Dean had withdrawn. Was he having second thoughts after the date? He was flirting with you because that’s just what he does with all females. Usually he meets a woman and then within an hour their bodies have become one. But that was just it; their bodies had connected but nothing more. You wanted more. You wanted to connect with his body, his mind, and his heart and soul. You couldn’t explain how or when it happened, but you already knew that you were in love with Dean. Realistically you know that this relationship won’t work. Dean has commitment issues, traumatic experiences that would put most anyone in a mental institution, and self hatred and low self esteem leaving him feeling that he’s not worthy to be loved. How could you make him see his true worth? Make him know that he deserves to be happy, just like everyone else. No more than everyone else, because of everything that he has already sacrificed. You were willing to do whatever it takes, to save the man that you love - Dean Winchester.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter: 16

Dean was up early and packing his duffel bag. He had found a case and it was nearby, only 15 miles away. He barged into Sam’s room and yelled “Rise and shine Sammie.” 

Sam bolted awake sitting straight up. “What the hell?” Sam said.

“There’s a case. Let’s get a move on.” Dean then left the room. “Rolling in 15 with or without you,” he said over his shoulder.

Later in the car, Sam looked at Dean. They hadn’t talked at all but he noticed Dean’s grip on the steering wheel; clenching and then releasing. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“You held up in your room all day yesterday and now we’re on a hunt at the crack of dawn. What gives?”

“Just felt like getting out of the bunker and saw an opportunity with this case. Come on Sam. It’s what we do.”

“It’s one thing to have a case and go to work it. It’s another to run away because things are hitting a little too close.”

“I’m not running from anything. What? You think I’m avoiding being around Diana?”

“It’s what you do when anyone gets too close. You’ve even done it to me before.”

“Hey, I like her. She’s adjusted to our way of life and she’s even chosen to stay and work hard even when she was sick or afraid. She’s tough and I admire her.”

“Are you falling in love with her?”

“What?! Nobody said anything about love.”

“Not yet?”

“Has she said something to you?” Dean asked, looking at Sam for too long and almost running off the road. He quickly realizes and turns the wheel correcting the Impala.

“No, she hasn’t said the words, but I know she has feelings for you. And I know you have feelings for her. And it’s more than just sex. You know why because you wouldn’t wait this long if you didn’t.”

Dean doesn’t say anything. They’ve now arrived at the Oak Park Retirement Home. Dean jumps out of the car and Sam follows close behind. 

\--------------------

Diana was working on the inventory again. All was quiet in the bunker. She hadn’t seen Sam or Dean and she assumed they were somewhere in the bunker or had gone out. She had gotten used to being alone. Even welcomed it at times. This was one of those times. She was searching through the Bible looking for all the references when God had actually touched an item. She would list each one and then reference what became of it. If the Bible or other reference books didn’t have the information then they would call on Castiel for help. Diana was making notes and she felt a breeze and then looked up to see Castiel standing there. She jumped up and ran to him.

“CAS!” she exclaimed, wrapping him in a hug. 

“Well hello there,” said Cas. 

“Where have you been? Sam and Dean have been calling you. We were worried about you.”

“I’ve been looking for Lucifer. Crowley and Rowena are helping me.”

“The guys told me about them. The King of Hell and his witch mother right?”

“Yes. So what are you doing?” Cas asks.

“I’m making a list of all the times that God touched an item. If we can find where they are now, we can use the power of God to defeat Amara. At least, that’s the plan.”

“Do you need any help?” he said coming over to look at her notes.

“Sure. You can tell me if you know where these items are now.”  
Diana stands beside Cas reading off of her notes.

“The first item is the Rod of Aaron. God created the rod on the sixth day of creation and then he gave it to Aaron when he and Moses appeared before the Pharaoh.”

“I remember that stick. Dad used it as a caning stick to punish the naughty angels,” he said then snickered to himself. Diana just looked at Cas strangely thinking that was a very inappropriate comment. 

Cas noticed and then cleared his throat, “Sorry.”

“The next item is the 2 stone tablets that he carved with his finger. We know it as the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately, Moses broke the tablets when he came down from Mt. Sinai but there may be some bits and pieces that remain.”

“God was all about rules and regulations.”

“The last one that I found was the Horn of Joshua. Joshua used the ram’s horn to break down the walls of Jericho. Any idea what happened to that?”

“Can’t say as I do but that’s a great start there, doll face.” Cas reaches up and caresses the side of Diana’s face. Then his hand goes around her throat and then they hear Dean’s voice.

“Diana? Where are you?” 

Castiel steps back and releases Diana as Dean comes into the room.

“Cas. Buddy, where have you been?”

“Dean. I was telling Diana that I’ve been working with Crowley and Rowena trying to come up with a plan to find Amara.”

“Dean, can I talk to you for a minute,” said Diana eagerly.

“Uh, I don’t have time right now. I just came back to grab some golden blades to use to kill the banshee that we’re tracking. Be a dear, and tell me which box they’re in.”

Diana pulls up the database and hits a few keystrokes. “Box 17. It’s on the 3rd shelf on the left.”

Diana hurries out of the room and goes to her room down the hall. She locks the door behind her. What just happened? Castiel had never talked to her like that, or made a sexual reference, and surely not put his hand around your throat. His touch had scared you and you hoped that he would leave with Dean. If not, how could you protect yourself from him? He was an angel. You decided to quietly go back towards the room to hear what they were discussing.

“We need to find a spell or a weapon that can finish her off. That’s why I came here.” Cas says.

“Believe me I’ve tried and failed twice now.” Cas just looks at Dean who has now turned to go get the box and the knives. “I don’t know Cas. Attraction? Connection? I don’t know if I can stop it. It scares me. I don’t know if I can resist it.” Dean says. Diana is out in the hallway and overhears.

“It scares me too, but we will find out what this is. I promise. In the end, it will draw her out. This could be a good thing.”

Just then Dean’s phone rings, and it’s Sam calling. He tells Dean about Eileen Leahy who is a hunter and her parents were killed by this same banshee. Her grandfather was also in the Men of Letters as well. He finishes up the call and turns back to Cas.

Diana decides this will be a good time for her to go back to her room. She does and locks the door knowing that there is no protection from Castiel if he decides to poof himself inside.

“Cas, let’s keep what we talked about between us until we know more,” Dean says.

“Yeah but “

“Just trust me on this.”

“Alright but the next time you face Amara, you won’t be alone.”

“Thanks, Cas.” Dean rushes off with the blades not even giving a thought to where Diana went and leaving Cas still in the storage room.

\-----------------

Hours had passed since Dean had left. You had no idea if Cas was still in the bunker but you weren’t going to venture out to see. You were hungry and needed to go to the bathroom but you stayed in your room. You thought you heard the door slam and distant voices and then footsteps approaching and then a knock. 

“Diana? You awake?” 

It was Dean. You rush to unlock the door and then fling yourself into his arms. He almost loses his balance as he wasn’t prepared for it.

“Dean, I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Hey, what’s wrong? You’re shaking.”

“Did you notice anything strange about Castiel?”

“He’s always a little strange.”

“No. He called me doll face like he was flirting with me.”

“Cas? He doesn’t know how to flirt. You probably misunderstood him.”

“Well then I told him our plan to find objects that God has touched and I have 3 so far. He seemed impressed but made a sexual reference to one of them. Angels don’t have sex, do they?”

Dean smiles remembering the time that he took Cas to a brothel to get laid, and the time that you caught him watching porn. “Cas knows about sex.”

“OK, if you say so, but the last thing is what really scared me. He touched the side of my face and then put his hand around my throat. I thought he was going to choke me.”

“Cas put his hands on you? Did he say anything?”

“Just told me that I was doing good research and to keep it up. His hand was on my throat when you called my name and he quickly released me.”

“What happened after I left?”

“I don’t know. I locked myself in my room and stayed here.” Dean hugged you and caressed your back.

“It’s OK. I think he’s gone now. Come on out and we’ll get something to eat.” Dean releases you and you look up at him for the first time.

“Dean, what happened to your head?” 

“Oh yeah. The banshee was making me bang my brains out until Eileen killed it. I might have a concussion and there’s still some ringing in my ears, but I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” you asked worried.

“Yes, come on,” he said and was heading toward his room.

“I’ll come to the kitchen in just a minute. I’ve really gotta pee.” you said rushing off.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter: 17

Warning: Sexual Content 

The next couple of weeks were like normal. Sam and Dean went out on a case together but were back within the week. You kept busy by going through books and articles in the Library, since you weren’t allowed to do inventory without one of them there. Thankfully they returned by Feb. 13. You had something special planned for Dean for Valentine’s Day. You knew that most times they needed showers, sleep, and food and not necessarily always in that order when they returned from a hunt. Valentine’s Day morning arrived and you were up early. You dressed in a pink t-shirt and gray sweatpants. You made your way to the kitchen and got out the bowls and prepared the waffle maker. You also got out a pan to make bacon in the oven. You also started the coffee maker and started making the waffle batter. 

Sam came in and said “Hey. You’re up early.” 

You grinned at him and said “Happy Valentine’s Day Sam!”

“Oh I get it. Big breakfast for Dean?”

“And you too!”

“Oh OK. Thank you. That’s sweet.”

“You’re welcome, although if I could ask you for a little privacy for Dean and me later tonight, I would appreciate it.” Diana said, giving Sam a knowing look. Sam was getting a bottled water from the fridge and then turned back around and looked at you.

“Yeah sure no…problem”, he said as he realized what you meant. “So tonight’s the night huh?”

“Well it is Valentine’s Day and we are kinda dating”, you said.

“Diana, don’t do anything that you’ll regret later or that you’re not ready for just because of what day it is.” Sam said with concern.

“I’m not Sam. I have been thinking about this for week’s in fact. I’ve made Dean wait longer than he’s used to, maybe even longer than he’s waited for any woman.”

“Yes, you’re right about that.” Sam confirmed.

“I’m kind of nervous about it.” you confided.

“Diana, Dean’s not gonna do anything that you aren’t comfortable with.”

You laughed and said “Sam, I’m not nervous about that. I’m scared that Dean will reject me altogether tonight or worse, have sex with me and then he’s done, no strings attached.”

“I doubt he’ll reject you. He’s majorly horny!”

“Sam,” you say embarrassed.

“Just talk it out with Dean. Tell him how you feel about him and try to get him to tell you how he feels. I know he cares about you.”

“Thanks Sam. I like our talks.” Sam gives you a hug.

“I’m gonna go for a run. Save me some waffles and bacon.”

“Sure thing.” Diana finishes the breakfast and then fixes Dean’s plate with a cup of coffee and places it on a tray. She then carries it to his room and knocks.

“Come in.” Diana opens the door and sees Dean still laying in bed.

“Good morning,” you said making your way over to the bed. Dean sits up now as a wide smile appears on his lips.

“What’s all this?”

“Breakfast in bed.” you say and deposit the tray down onto his lap.

“WOW! You’ve got my favorites.” He grabs a piece of bacon and pops it into his mouth munching. “MMMMM, so good.”

“Aren’t you going to join me?”

“No, I’ve got mine and Sam’s plate waiting in the kitchen.” You turn to leave and then look back at Dean, who looks as if he’s pouting. “What’s wrong?”

“I wanted some company.”

“Oh, well you could get dressed and come back to the kitchen to eat then. And by the way, there’s a little bell on your tray. Just ring it and I’ll come back for the tray,” you say and then give him a wink. He looks surprised at that last comment and the wink.

“Uhm, on second thought, maybe I’ll just stay here.”

“OK, enjoy.” You exit the room and close the door behind you. You exhale as if you hadn’t been breathing, which you hadn’t.

You return to the kitchen and start eating your breakfast. You were hungry from preparing everything and you were delighted that it tasted so good. As you finished your plate, and got up from the table, Sam came running in hair and clothes wet with sweat. 

“That was my fastest time yet. Yes! “ he exclaimed.

“Good job, now go take a shower please.”

“I will but, can I take my food with me? It’s the reason I got back so fast. Didn’t want Dean to eat his and mine.” he said, reaching for the prepared meal.

“Sure go ahead.” Diana started washing up the dishes and cleaning up her mess. She heard the little bell ring and turned to see Dean standing in the doorway, ringer in hand.

“I was going to come back and get your tray.”

Dean just smiles and walks toward you with the tray in hand. 

“It was no trouble besides I wanted to thank you for such a wonderful meal.” 

He sets the tray and ringer down and then wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you into a kiss. Your hands are still wet with soap suds so you leave them stretched out behind him. His kiss is soft and sweet but you can sense the longing for more. You respond back by parting your lips and sticking your tongue inside first. He jerks back a little surprised by your advances. He recovers quickly and urges his tongue out to yours. His hand goes up to caress your cheek and then he pulls back opening his eyes to look at you. Your eyes flutter open and you’re staring into those beautiful green eyes of his. He’s silent just looking at you.

“You’re welcome.”

He moves aside and you turn back around to the dishes again. “So what are you doing today?”

“Not much. Hey so since you guys are here, can I go back to the inventory today?”

“Yeah sure. Just don’t work too much and tire yourself out like you often do” he said.

“Oh I won’t.”

“Here let me help you with this.” he says reaching for the drying towel.

“No sir. You go do whatever you want to, and take the little bell with you. You’ll need it all day today.” Again that smile and a wink. 

“OK then. I’ll see you later.” he says and winks back at you. He turns and leaves taking the bell.

You return to the task of finishing the dishes and then set out to do some work in the storage room. You know that the main focus is to find an object that has been touched by God. You had found all of the references from the Bible where this had occurred. The most difficult part would be finding one of the said items. Sam had said that he would reach out to Castiel for more information on locating any of these items. You felt better about that and was glad that you weren’t being asked to do that. You knew that you would see Castiel again and you would have to talk with him about the strange conversation, but you didn’t want to think about that now.   
You figured you had about 2 -3 good hours of work before your next Valentine’s Day surprise for Dean.

\---------------------

“Hey Dean.” Sam says as he comes into the Library. 

“Hey. Where have you been all morning?” he asked, looking up from his laptop.

“Went for a run, rushed back for breakfast. Man, it was so good. Diana can cook!”

“I know. She just keeps surprising me.” Dean says grinning.

“Then I showered and then decided to call a friend that I haven’t seen in awhile. We’re meeting up later tonight.”

“Really, who is it?”

“Tara. You remember that night at Main Street Bar during Karaoki and we ended up singing that song together.”

“Yeah man. Way to go.”

“I was worried that she would have plans for tonight, but she didn’t so lucky me.”

“Why would you think she would already have plans?”

“Dude, because today is your favorite holiday. Not Mr. Right but Mr. Right now?”

“Oh shit! It’s Valentine’s Day! I totally forgot.” Dean jumps up. “I need to go get something for Diana. That’s why she’s doing all this and giving me signals.”

“Yeah man. You know she’s thought about this and she’s finally ready.”

“She told you that?” Dean asked almost in shock.

“Yeah but she’s scared, not just of the physical stuff but the emotions that come with it. So Dean for God’s sake, talk to her and open up about how you feel about her.”

“Oh man. No pressure then?” he said jokingly, but knowing full well that he was under a lot of pressure.

“She knows that you have been very patient with her and she appreciates that. She said she wasn’t going to make you wait any longer.”

“WOW! I am so excited about this but now I’m scared too. I don’t want to hurt her. Damn! She’s too good for the likes of me.”

“Stop it Dean! Don’t go down that path, not today. It’s too important.”

“I gotta get out of here. Gonna get her something special and think about what I’m going to say.”

Dean hurried off toward his room and then called after “Be safe and use protection Sammie.”

“JERK!”

“BITCH!”

\---------------------

Sam had been doing some research in the library on the Ahnenerbe which operated as a “think tank” in Nazi, Germany between 1935 - 1945. This think tank claimed that archaeological evidence indicated that the ancient Aryans lived across eastern Europe and was the focus of German military expansion in that area. Their archaeological expeditions focused on finding and collecting objects of Biblical and spiritual nature. Sam also discovered that there was a European group of the Men of Letters which included a female spy named Delphine. She had posed as the love interest to a high ranking Nazi general, who was in charge of the expeditions. They had been searching for something called the Hand of God, which was reported to be a part of the Ark of the Covenant. According to the Men of Letters files, Delphine had successfully killed her lover and stolen the Hand of God. Unfortunately, she never returned to their headquarters with the object as their submarine, the Blue Fin went down on the voyage back with no survivors. 

Diana took a break and came to the kitchen to get herself a snack and bottled water. She checked in on Sam in the library and he filled her in on what he had discovered. 

“So all of this information is fascinating but how can that help us?” Diana asked.

“Well if the sub went down, there’s a real possibility that the Hand of God is somewhere at the bottom of the sea. If we know the exact location, Castiel could go and retrieve it for us.” Sam said with excitement.

“What does Dean think of this plan?” you asked.

“Haven’t told him yet,” Sam said, still reading from the files.

“Why not? Where is he?”

“He went out.” he said looking up for the first time. Sam saw your demeanor change into a worried look. “He’s just running errands. He’ll be back.”

“OK. Well if you don’t mind I think I’m going to start getting ready for tonight.”

“That’s fine. And don’t worry about me being a third wheel. I’ve got a date tonight too.”

“So you’ll be out all night?” she asked.

“That’s the plan.” he says grinning.

“Well have fun and be safe.” she said and then bent down and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

“You too.”

Diana rushed off to shower. She shaved her legs and underarms and then scrubbed herself clean with her favorite body wash that she had brought from her apartment. She realized that she had been taking her time and finally after 15 minutes turned off the water. She dried off and pulled her robe around her. She then rubbed her hair with the towel and then combed out any tangles. Her hair had gotten longer since she first came to the bunker as now it fell loosely around her shoulders. She pulled it back and put it up in a ponytail. She padded out of the bathroom and went to her room, closing and locking her door. She didn’t want Dean coming back and ruining her surprises. She thought about wearing her red dress but that was what she wore on that first night meeting Sam. It just didn’t seem right. She chose her black lacy thong underwear and her black push up bra. She then wrapped her robe back around her for warmth as she applied her makeup. With that done, she now printed out place cards for their dinner setting. She also printed out an instruction card for Dean. She almost changed her mind but then went back to her original plan. She knew if left to his own devices, Dean would snoop around and spoil the surprises she had in store for him tonight. She texted Sam to see if Dean had returned yet; thankfully he hadn’t. She placed the instruction card in an envelope and then placed it on Dean’s bed. She then set their dinner plates, forks, knives, and napkins on one of the tables in the library. She also placed 2 wine glasses out as well. She got the candle and its holder and put it in between the two place settings. She then placed the name cards on each place setting. She went back to her room and finished dressing. She also combed out her hair and then pinned it up with a decorative hair clip. She chose a black dress keeping with the theme for the night. She straightened her room up in case they ended up in her room later that night. She then made her way to the kitchen to prepare the meal. She had chosen 2 nice ribeye steaks. She seasoned them and then began cooking them on the grill. She would finish them off in the oven which would ensure that they would stay warm even if they ate them later. She prepared baked potatoes wrapped in tin foil and made a tossed salad and placed it in the fridge. She put her favorite red wine in the fridge to chill. She went back out to the Library to recheck the place settings and light the candle. It was 6:15 and Dean still wasn’t back. She started to worry if something had happened to him or if he had gotten a better offer from someone else while in town. Just then she heard the big metal door open and then close and then saw him standing at the top of the stairs. He walked slowly down to her and stopped right in front of you. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said with a crooked smile. His eyes were bright and she wondered what he was thinking.

“Happy Valentine’s Day Dean. I hope you will enjoy what I have planned for us,” you said calmly.

“I’m sure I will. This all looks very nice. And you look...beautiful.” he said.

“Thank you, sir. When you go to your room, you’ll see an envelope on your bed. It will provide you with further instructions if you’re willing to participate?” you ask.

“I like it when a woman takes charge, to a certain extent. Do we need to go ahead and decide on a safe word?” he said then licked his bottom lip.

“There will be plenty of time for that. I’ll be in the kitchen finishing up our meal but don’t come in there. Follow the instructions and I can guarantee you a night to remember.” you said. 

You then turned and went back to the kitchen to check on the food. Your heart was pounding so hard that you knew Dean had to hear it. You checked the time and it was 6:55. Since you hadn’t been interrupted by Dean, you assumed that he was going along with your plans. Your hands were shaking as you got out the appetizers you had prepared earlier. You placed them on a tray and waited to hear the signal. You adjusted your outfit and took steading breaths. Why were you so nervous? He’s just a man, like any other. No, he wasn’t! He was Dean Winchester, and you had already fallen hard for him. He had no idea and you knew tonight was not the time to say those 3 words. You heard the bell ringing and picked up the tray, taking another cleansing breath and then proceeded out of the kitchen into the library. When you saw him sitting there at his place, dressed in his black suit, white button-down shirt, and red tie, your knees almost buckled. You recovered quickly and continued walking toward him. Now it was his turn to be surprised and his open mouth with jaw hanging told you it was working. You had slipped out of your black dress and donned a french maid’s outfit to play your role for the night.

“Your appetizer, Mr. Winchester,” you said placing the tray in front of him. It was stuffed mushrooms and he looked at them and then back at you. He took one and popped it into his mouth. “May I make you a drink, sir?”

“Uh, yes, please. A whiskey,” he said in his deep throaty voice. You turned and your short skirt swished against your rear. You knew his eyes were focused on your ass. You went to the wet bar in the corner of the room and poured his whiskey. You turned and his gaze was down toward the floor but he looked you all the way up as you walked back to the table. You set the drink down in front of him.

“Are you ready for the first course, sir?” you say.

“Depends on what it is?” he says seriously.

You swallowed and stared into those eyes. “It’s whatever you would like, sir.”

Dean pushed his seat back and stood up and came to you taking your hands in his. 

“I would like a kiss, long and slow.” You touch the side of his face and he tilts his head downward to meet your lips. Your lips meet and it’s as if time is standing still. You open your lips and his tongue searches out yours, mingling and sliding back and forth. You can feel his strong hands around your waist now. Your arms are around his neck and he’s pulling you closer into his chest. You’re breathing harder and know you’ll need to come up for air soon. You don’t care, you just want to keep kissing him until you pass out! He breaks the kiss and his lips seek out your neck. He’s sucking and tracing a path with his tongue licking his way up to behind your ear. You moan slowly and then he nibbles at your ear lobe. He pulls back and looks at you.

“Are you OK?” he says with concern and passion in his eyes.

“Yes, sir.” You give him a small smile.

“Should we go ahead and set the safe word now or later?” he asked.

“Tornado,” you say deliberately. “That will be my word.”

“I like that,” he says smiling. “Are you hungry?”

“For what, sir?” you say licking your lips.

“Damn, you are so hot!” he says going in for another kiss. He reaches a hand up and cups your breast using his finger to circle the nipple. It immediately stiffens. Dean moves backward, pulling you with him. He sits in the chair and pulls you onto his lap. You feel the bulge straining against his pants. 

“I’m loving this outfit but it has served its purpose. Take it off.” 

You stand and take off the top revealing the black bra. You see Dean’s breathing quicken. You then slip your thumbs into each side of the elastic waistband of the skirt and tug the material slowly down over your hips and then release it letting it fall to the floor. You step out of the skirt to reveal the black lacy thong underwear. Dean can barely sit still as he adjusts himself to the edge of the chair. You are right in front of him.

“Turn around slowly and then face me.” You turn ever so slowly giving him a full panoramic view. When you return to face him, he has a determined look on his face.

“On your knees.” You obey, but is it really obedience when it was what you wanted to do all along?

“May I?” you ask, as your hands are already reaching toward his waist.

“You may.”

You unbuckle his belt and then the button, and take the zipper and slowly lower it, folding back the material. Dean is wearing fire-engine red boxers and the sight of them makes you want to go faster but this is a controlled seduction. Dean has now removed his suit coat and loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. You look up at him and he nods. You take the top of his pants and start to scooch them down as he tilts his pelvis upward and slightly off the chair. His pants come free and you slide them down toward his ankles. You then tug at the underwear and fold it down allowing his erect cock to spring free. You suck in a breath at the sight of it. He’s bigger than you had imagined but that only spurred you on more. You place both hands around the base and lean in and give the tip a soft kiss. You then lick the underside from base to the tip before taking its girth into your mouth. Dean moans deep and you cast your gaze upward. His eyes are closed and his head is tilted backward savoring the feel of his dick in your mouth. You start the slow slide of your mouth up and down. Dean stays still for a while until he can’t contain it. He begins to thrust his hips out to meet your lips, your tongue, and down your throat. You have to fight to control your gag reflex but you do; you have to in order to continue to love on this man. You tighten your mouth even more and Dean picks up his pace.

“Stop!” Dean says suddenly.

It frightened you and you open your mouth and he withdraws. He jumped up and gripped your arms just above the elbows and pulled you up to stand. 

“Did I do something wrong?” you ask scared that he had suddenly come to his senses and didn’t want anything further to do with you.

“No baby. You were doing everything right, in fact too much so. It was building too quickly and I want more of you.” 

He leans in and kisses you with passion. He then sweeps you up into his arms before you can react. He carries you down the hallway and into his room.

“Is my room OK, or did you want to be in yours?”

“I don’t care, as long as I’m with you.” 

He deposits you at the end of his bed and then quickly removes his shoes and kicks his pants and underwear off. He strips off the tie and shirt without even unbuttoning it by lifting it over his shoulders and flings it aside. 

“Your turn,” he says and then slides his hands up your legs straight to your crotch. He puts his hands underneath your ass and pushes your weight up and then slides the underwear free, tossing it to the floor. His hands then move back behind you and unclips the bra with one hand.  
Your breasts are unleashed and he buries his face in between them kissing and tracing around the nipple with his finger arousing one before lowering his mouth to it. His tongue flicks it erect and you feel the wetness and the electric current in your pussy. He gives the other nipple the same treatment and you moan and wiggle your hips in response. He then descends his head lower kissing your stomach all the way down to your V. He parts your legs and touches the slit and discovers you are wet. He slowly slides in two fingers all the way. He gives you a few thrusts before his tongue finds your clit. 

“Oh Dean.” you moan lost in the ecstasy that his tongue and fingers are doing to you. After a few thrusts, he removes his fingers and slips his tongue in to taste your juices.

“So sweet baby.” He licks and thrusts his tongue until he senses your urgency. He reinserts his fingers and fucks you until you moan out and he feels the tremors and spasms deep within you.

“Dean, Dean, fuck, oh fuck me,” you say as the orgasm crests, like a wave that has just crashed onto the shore. He withdraws his hand and then props himself up between your open legs. 

“Ready?” he asks as he lines up his cock with your pussy.

“Yes, please.” He pushes into you and your walls spread further to accommodate his huge dick. He waits to see if he’s hurting you but you just thrust your hips up to receive more. He starts the rhythm of withdrawing and entering slowly but then increases the pace, giving in to his own carnal needs. His cock is so engorged and has been denied this pleasure for too long. The pace quickens and he’s found his stride now.

“Damn Diana! So wet and tight. Fuck!” he practically growls. He thrusts on until he suddenly pulls out. 

“Turn over and on your knees.” 

He’s helping you into position and then before you can steady yourself his cock is thrusting in your pussy again. From this position, his dick goes deeper than before and occasionally he hits your G-spot, making you buck all the more. This just encourages him to fuck faster, which you didn’t think was humanly possible. You’ve lost your balance and you are face-first in the mattress, and the scent of this man remains on the sheets filling your nostrils. Your ass is now even higher and provides him with the perfect angle to thrust his way to completion. You fist the sheets and feel the intensity inside ready to explode.

“Dean I’m coming. Yes! Oh God! Yes!” you scream out. 

Your reaction sets off his orgasm and he pumps his cum deep inside you. He continues shooting the hot semen until you feel limp and your legs are weak and twitching. He withdraws and flips beside you pulling you into a protective spoon. You both lay there catching your breaths for a minute. Dean then kisses your cheek and caresses your shoulder. You can feel and see the goosebumps that he has caused and snuggles deeper against his chest.

“WOW! That was..” Dean begins.

“Amazing,” you say, looking at him.

“Worth the wait!” he says and then kisses you tenderly. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” you say.

“Oh yeah. I almost forgot. I got you something.” He sits up and reaches for the box on his bedside stand. He hands it to you. “I hope you like it.” You take it and look at him in surprise.

“You didn’t have to get my anything,” you say.

“OK then give it back,” he said joking and reaching for the box.

“No, I want it,” you said play slapping his hand away. You open the box and your mouth opens as you see the necklace. It is a crescent moon with a bow and arrow completing the circle.

“It’s the symbol for Diana, the goddess of the moon,” he says smiling.

“It’s a beautiful Dean. Thank you.” You unlatch it and put it around your neck.   
“How does it look?” you ask.

“Beautiful”, he says and then you realize he’s not talking about the necklace. You lean in and kiss him again and then lay back down in his arms, facing him now with your head resting on his chest and shoulder. Neither of you don’t say anything for several minutes and then you clear your throat and look up at him. 

“What are you thinking?” you ask not sure if you want an answer.

“Huh, oh, just realizing that this is the first Valentine’s Day that I got to have sex in my own bed. That’s never happened before.”

“And did you like it or do you prefer to be in some random motel?”

“I definitely liked it. I can get used to this.”

You sigh and then hear a rumbling from your stomach. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t eat lunch because I was busy doing inventory and then. Oh no. Our meal.” 

You jump up and then run down the hall to your room, grabbing your robe and then run to the kitchen. Fortunately, you had planned for dinner to be delayed and hadn’t set the oven temperature too high. You took out the steak and the potatoes, just as Dean came into view. He had pulled on the gray robe that he liked to wear.

“So do I need to go get us a pizza?”

“No everything is fine. Hungry?”

“Yes. Do we need to get dressed and go back out to the Library?”

“No. Here in the kitchen is fine with me.” 

You fix the plates and start to eat like you both are starving. Dean loves the steak and potatoes but passes on the salad. That’s fine with you because you doubted he would eat it anyway.  
You finished your plate and took it to the sink.

“Do you want dessert?”

“Pie?” he asked excitedly.

“I thought about it but went for a more traditional Valentine’s dessert - chocolate covered strawberries.”

“I love chocolate.”

You get them from the fridge along with the wine that you had chilled. 

“If we had been able to delay our passion, then I was counting on these to get you in the mood.” 

You set them on the table and then pour some wine in your glass. “Want some wine?”

“I’m not a wine drinker, but I will get another beer,” he says getting up to get it from the fridge.  
He returns to the table and sits down. He’s staring at you again. You take a strawberry and bite into it. It’s sweet and juicy and you poke your tongue out to catch the juice before it runs down your cheek. Dean reaches out and strokes your cheek and brushes a strand of hair back and tucks it behind your ear. 

“Thank you for today. It started with a wonderful breakfast and then this dinner, and you know I enjoyed the sex.”

“You are very welcome. I enjoyed planning it all and I definitely enjoyed executing it.” 

You picked up another strawberry and then offered it out to Dean. He took it in between his lips and bit down. You take the other half and put it in your own mouth and then take a sip of wine.   
You get up and prepare to clean up the kitchen, but Dean grabs your arm and spins you around facing him. 

“How are you feeling?” Dean asks. His sincerity shocks you and you aren’t sure what he’s asking.

“I’m fine. Why?”

“I’m serious Diana. We got off to a rough start, our fault obviously, but then you sort of settled into a routine living here with us and helping us with the inventory. How do you feel about it now? How do you feel …..about me?”

You swallow and debate on whether to tell him exactly where your heart and mind are at, but you don’t want to scare him away.

“Dean, I had to work through being really mad at you and Sam. I was lied to and held against my will. I was scared that I was going to be killed or sold into a sex trade. I didn’t have a clue. And then you guys tell me some crazy story about angels and demons, and then Castiel appears right before my eyes. And there’s this evil force called the Darkness that you’re trying to kill or trap. It’s so overwhelming and you and Sam act like it’s just another typical day to you. I started to trust you both, and so far, you’ve not disappointed me.” You pause and swallow again.

“I feel a but coming,” he said.

“But I don’t trust people easily. I’ve been hurt before and I don’t want to be hurt again, especially not by you.”

“I don’t want that either. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I feel like this is the best moment I have ever had in my life. It’s like if I died tomorrow, I could die happy.”

“Dean, don’t say that. Don’t think that way,” you said suddenly feeling your eyes stinging from freshly formed tears. You wrap your arms around him and lean down hugging him tight.

“Woa, Diana? I didn’t mean to make you upset. I just wanted you to know that you’ve made me really happy.”

“You make me happy too. And it scares me, because the last time I was truly happy, was the day that my mom and sister died. It’s like a warning sign. Be happy today, because everything changes in a minute and then that happiness is gone, forever.” The tears spill from your eyes and drip onto Dean’s shoulder. He pulls you back to face him.

“I’m so sorry, Diana. This life is rough and we’re faced with life and death every time we go out on a hunt. It’s just part of the business. We’ve lost friends and family. Hell we’ve lost each other a couple of times. I’m living on borrowed time that I don’t deserve. I want to make the most of each and every day. And for right now, I’m thankful that you’re in my life.”

You blink back the tears and take in a breath. 

“You mean it? You really want me in your life?”

“Yes. I do. Besides, how else are we going to get all of the inventory and cataloging of all those books and articles in the library done.” he grins mischievously. 

You punch him in the stomach at that comment and he winces but then starts laughing. You spin out of his arms and your robe comes open giving him another view of your naked body. He gets up and comes after you as now he’s chasing you around the kitchen. He catches you easily and kisses you again. It’s a playful kiss and it feels sweet and comforting. 

“You know I’m going to get you back for that comment,” you say teasing.

“I know. I’m counting on it.”

“Uhhhh, well. I need to get these dishes washed and the kitchen cleaned up.”

“I’ll help you.” 

“Oh, thanks. Actually, could you go get the plates off of the table in the library. We didn’t use them so we can just put them away.”

Dean leaves to go to the library. As he does, he sees the french maid’s outfit and it makes him smile. Then he looks over to the other table where Sam’s research is open. He reads his notes and sees the reference to the Hand of God. This sets his thoughts back to Amara. Damnit! Why couldn’t he stay focused on Diana? The woman that had just given herself to him and satisfied him in every way. She’s right here and he wanted her in his life; that wasn’t a lie. But he knew that what she had said about fleeting happiness was true. He knew that this relationship wouldn’t last because it never did for a hunter. He would eventually die for the final time or he would put her in danger and he couldn’t bear to live with that either.

Dean carries the plates and forks and glasses back into the kitchen. He sets them on the counter. 

“Hey let’s just put all this in the dishwasher and go back to bed?”

“What? You know I can’t leave a mess in here. Besides, that’s not fair to Sam to come back into a mess.”

“Please. Come on. We have all night together by ourselves.” he says, pulling on your robe now.

“OK, but let me load the dishwasher and wipe down the counter first.” He helps her and they finish quickly. 

Diana goes to the library and picks up her french maid’s outfit and anything else that they had left behind. They make their way back to Dean’s room and close the door. Dean wanted to take advantage of all of the time that he had with Diana before she was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter: 18

Warning: Shower Scene and Masturbation

Diana awoke in Dean’s arms held close against his chest. She looked back at his face. He was still asleep and she could see movement behind his closed eyelids. She wondered what occupied his dreams. She tried to wiggle free but his weight was shifted against her and one leg was draped over her legs and his arm was cradling her. This was how she had fallen asleep; totally exhausted but blissfully satisfied from another round of love making with the man she loved. Although now, her bladder needed relief. She took Dean’s arm and raised it off of her and he shifted slightly. She scooted further up on the bed and slid her legs out from under him. She sat up draping her legs off the side of the bed. Before she could get up, Dean grabbed her around the waist. 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Dean. I’ve got to pee. Please.” 

He laughed and then released her. Diana made a dash for the bathroom. Dean laid back putting his hands behind his neck, elbows bent and stretched out. After all the sex he had last night, he should be good for a week, but he still had “morning wood”. He was expecting Diana to come back and she could help him take care of it, but several minutes passed and he figured she was taking a shower. That worked for him, so he got up and made his way to the bathroom. He could already hear the water going and then just stood in the doorway watching her. She turned to rinse the shampoo out of her hair and caught sight of Dean standing there watching her.

“Dean. Seriously? Are you trying to kill me?” 

“No baby. I just can’t get enough though.”

“Well maybe you could handle it yourself and I’ll provide the motivation.”

“Works for me.”

Diana continued with her shower although now she lingered longer with the body wash, soaping up and rinsing her breasts, her stomach, and down to her pelvic region. She would cast glances over at Dean and he was smiling and pumping his member. She dropped the bath scrunchie on purpose and bent over dramatically to get it, exposing her rear to Dean. He then noticed her tattoo on her left side at the top of her cheek. He had been too preoccupied last night to notice the details. It was a grapevine wreath and in the center were two sets of initials: MM & SM. He made a mental note to ask you about it later. Diana took her time picking up the scrunchie and she slid it along her leg and inner thigh. She let it linger in between her legs and she heard Dean moan and knew that he was building to a climax. He rushed over to get under the spray of the water as he ejaculated. Diana just smiled at him and shared the space. She lathered up the scrunchie again and began to wash Dean’s chest and shoulders. She kissed him tenderly and then turned him around and scrubbed his back. The water beat down on them and it felt wonderful. Diana then washed his butt and he turned and she soaped his now limp penis.

“Careful, unless you’ve changed your mind.” Dean said.

“Nope. Just getting us both clean.” She rinsed herself off and then moved out from under the water to allow Dean to finish up. She grabbed a fresh towel and dried off. She then pulled on her robe and tied it. 

“I’m going to my room to get dressed. See you in a few.”

Diana dressed in her favorite gray sweatpants and pulled on her pink t-shirt. She combed through her hair and decided to put it in a ponytail. She was ready to get back to work again. She went to the kitchen to grab a snack and a water. She wasn’t sure if Sam had gotten back yet so she looked into the library, but his laptop was still on the table and his notes were scattered about. She went to the storage room and opened her laptop and pulled up the database. 

\------------------------

Dean was sitting in the kitchen eating a sandwich when Sam breezed in.

“Hey man,” Sam said, lowering his duffel bag to the floor.

“Hey! So how is Tara?” Dean asked waiting for Sam to give him the details of his hook up.

“She’s flexible.” he said grinning at his big brother.

“Hot damn! Way to go Sammie.” he said excitedly for his little brother.

“And what about you and Diana?” 

“Dude. She promised me a night to remember, and she kept her promise.”

“Cool. Did you guys talk at all?”

“Yeah some.”

“What does that mean? She did all the talking and you just said nothing.”

“No. I just told her that she made me happy and I could die happy. And then she freaks out and hugs me and then she’s crying.”

“Oh man. Poor girl.”

“She said she was afraid to be too happy because that’s when things turn bad and people die.”

“Sounds like you guys really connected. So how’d it go this morning, you know, was it awkward?”

“Nope. Had a repeat in the shower!”

“Dean! I don’t want to know that.” Sam said, shaking his head. Dean just laughed.

“Where is she now?”

“Said she wanted to work on inventory. I thought I’d give her some space.”

“Good idea. Well I’m going to stow my gear.”

“Hey Sam. I saw your notes last night about the Nazi’s and something about the Hand of God. Fill me in on that.”

“Sure thing. I’ll meet you in the library after I put this up.” 

Sam does that and then returns to fill Dean in on what he had found in the Men of Letters file. Dean wanted to get Castiel involved so that he could teleport Dean onto the submarine to explain their situation to Delphine. She may be willing to loan us the Hand of God, from one Men of Letters group to another. Sam wasn’t so sure about Dean going on this mission alone. Dean reasoned that Cas would be right there with him and Sam needed to stay with Diana and continue the research. Sam agreed but still didn’t like it. Dean called Castiel and he appeared immediately. They filled him in on their plan and Castiel agreed that he would stay with Dean the whole time. When Cas touches Dean’s shoulder, they both disappear.

\-----------------------

Diana comes into the library to find that Sam is back and he’s on his laptop. 

“Hi, Sam. How was your date last night?” you said smiling and sitting down across from him.

“Hey, Diana. It was nice. It’s good to get away and do normal stuff for a change.”

“Yeah, it is. I kind of miss that too. Like going to the grocery store or just out for a walk.”

“Diana, I think you’ve proved yourself to us. If you wanna go out for a while, that’s fine with me.”

“What would Dean say though? Where is he by the way?”

“Uh, he went out for a little while, but he shouldn’t be gone long.” Sam lied trying to stay calm. Dean told him not to tell Diana where he was going. She would only worry until he was back.

“So how was last night?” Sam asks changing the subject.

“Sam, I’m not going to give you all the details of our evening, but I will say that it was……  
magical. From everything that I have seen and heard about Dean, I really thought it was going to be kind of rushed and maybe even a little rough. But he was so tender and gentle.” you said. 

“So did he like the meal and the chocolate covered strawberries?” Sam added.

“He did, although we didn’t eat until later. And then I almost forgot about the meal altogether. Luckily I had put the steak and potatoes in the oven to stay warm so the temperature was turned down. And how did you know that we had chocolate covered strawberries?”

“I, uh, saw them in the fridge, and I might have helped myself to one,” he said looking down as if embarrassed.

“Oh Sam, it’s fine. There’s still some left so help yourself.”

“Hey, Dean didn’t tell me what he got you as a gift.”

“Oh yeah. It’s a necklace with the symbol for the goddess, Diana. I’ve had it on ever since he gave it to me.” You come closer to Sam showing him the necklace.

“Wow! I was worried when he left because he used to give me birthday and Christmas presents that he’d picked up last minute from the gas station. I’m glad he put some thought into it.”

“Me too. It was a special night.”

Sam goes back to his laptop and you decide to go to the kitchen to start making dinner.   
The bunker door opens and soaking wet Castiel comes in and walks down the stairs.

“Cas? What happened? Wait, where’s Dean?“ says Sam, jumping up in surprise.

“Dean made the leap and got on board but not me. I couldn’t get past the hull. Someone must have warded the ship.”

“It had to be Delphine. We’ve got to do something Cas. Get a message to Delphine before she boards about our plan so that she doesn’t ward the ship.”

“That’s unlikely,” Cas says. “Besides, Dean will probably see the warding and remove it himself.”

“Then send me. You got Dean past the hull.”

“Right. We’ll double down on what screwed us the first time. You’re really bringing your A ideas today.” Cas seems angry and he sits down at the table. “I can’t believe I lost it.” Sam looks at Cas strangely at that comment. “Him. I can’t believe I lost Dean. Well, it’s up to him now to find and clear the warding.”

“No, we can help,” Sam says and goes to the bookcase. “There’s got to be something in magic or angel lore. Some way to clear the sigils from the outside.” 

Cas is shaking his head. Sam begins to look in one of the books. He finds a Spell of Gathering, which is an incantation used to focus the power of celestial beings, angels against all drawn forms of evasion. The spell was designed to clear all mystical or occult blockages.

“This is highly theoretical magic but it’s never been used before, but it just might work,” Sam says as he sits down beside Cas.

“What are the ingredients?” asks Cas.

“Uh...all but one. That’s why it’s never been used before. It requires the power of an archangel.” Sam says disappointed.

“Well Sam, we may as well try.”

“We don’t have time for long shots Cas. Even at full power, you’re not strong enough.” Sam says and then gets up. Cas looks at the spell and then decides to continue anyway. He has gathered the other ingredients needed and puts them in a bowl.

“Cas what is that?” Sam says returning back to the table.

“It’s your Spell of Gathering.”

“Are you nuts? You’re not strong enough. Cas, you could get hurt.”

“Can you find a better option?”

“No, but without a serious boost to your angel power, the spell won’t even work.”

“My strength may surprise you.”

Sam is pacing now and then remembers something.

“I remember Bobby told me when you needed strength to retrieve us from the past, you used him to power up. You touched his soul, right?”

“That’s right, I did that. But that procedure can be fatal.”

“Use my soul. That way, maybe you’ll have enough power to wield the spell.”

“That isn’t necessary.”

“It’s worth the risk. Cas, Dean needs our help. I trust you.”

Cas just looks at Sam and then bursts out laughing. Sam is confused.

“What?”

“It’s just...I don’t need you anymore. Dean’s the one with the link to Amara. Why have I been trying to spare you? Maybe it’s because you’re like the girl who kept turning me down at the prom.” 

Cas grabs Sam’s shirt and slams him against one of the pillars. “I will touch your soul. Just because you asked so nicely, and I’ll use your spell to blast through the warding and retrieve Dean and the Hand of God. And then when Dean comes back and he finds this place decorated with your guts, I will tell him the truth, Sam.” 

Sam looks at Cas in horror as he realizes that he is talking to Lucifer. “I’ll just say, Dean, he knew the risks. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“Lucifer.” 

“In the flesh.” Lucifer then reaches his hand into Sam’s chest to touch his soul. Sam screams out in pain.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter: 19

Diana hears screaming and runs in to see what has happened just as Castiel withdraws his hand from Sam’s chest. Sam falls to the floor unconscious.

“Hello Castiel.” says Lucifer. Castiel has fought for control in order to help Sam.

“CAS. What the hell did you do to Sam?” Diana says running up and leaning down to check on him.

“Well hello there, doll face. I was hoping I would get to see you again,” says Lucifer.

Diana is too angry to be afraid. Cas has fought for control again.

“Run Diana. I don’t know how long I can hold him off.” Castiel says straining. Diana is confused because this sounds like the old Castiel. Sam begins to come around and rises up to a seated position.

“No, no.” he says.

“Sam, Sam it’s me.”

“Cas, why?”

“I wanted to be of service to the fight. And only Lucifer can beat her.”

“You chose this? You have to fight Cas. Eject him now!”

“I can’t! It’s taking all of my strength to keep him from killing you and Diana. And besides, we need him.” Cas says.

“No, Cas, we don’t. We’ll find another way to stop Amara.”

“We need him to save Dean.”

“What is he talking about? Save Dean from what?” Diana says panicked and suddenly afraid for Dean.

“You can’t time travel?” Sam asks. Castiel shakes his head no.

“Only Lucifer can.” Castiel allows Lucifer to time travel to the submarine and brings back Dean. They magically appear in front of Sam and Diana. 

“Dean. That’s not Cas!” Sam shouts to warn his brother. Dean looks at Cas in confusion and then Lucifer tosses Dean like a rag doll. 

“You know, I feel better. This whole deep cover thing, it just wasn’t terribly well-thought-out. Donning this Cas mask, this grim face of angelic constipation, just , uh, and then teaming up with you two? I thought you boys were insufferable as mortal enemies, but working with you? That’s the soul crusher.” 

During Lucifer’s little reveal, Diana rushed over to Dean and helped him back to his feet, while Sam used his knife to cut his hand. Lucifer waves a hand and slams Dean back against the same pillar that Sam was on. He then comes over to Diana and caresses her cheek. She is frozen in fear.

“Leave her alone, you son of a bitch!” Dean shouts, anger seething through his veins.

“Language Dean. I just want to get to know your girlfriend a little better.”

“I swear to God.” 

“No need to bring Daddy into this. Anyway, why the faces boys? You should be cheering. We have a common enemy.” Lucifer says toward Dean and Diana. While his attention is on them, Sam uses his blood to draw a sigil. Lucifer raises the Hand of God and says, “And with this, she will be no problem.” 

Dean now sees what Sam is doing and fights against the pillar but is determined to keep Lucifer’s attention directed on him. 

“I mean, I will have killed you both by then and thought of several tantalizing and pleasurable ways to entertain Diana, but still, come on.” Lucifer says while unwrapping the Hand of God.

“No. NO!” Dean yells. Lucifer holds the object and nothing happens.

“It’s used.” he says disgusted.

“Well, who’d have thought the Hand of God turned out to be a one-hitter?” says Dean.

Lucifer doesn’t find that funny and throws the object down on the table. He slowly walks toward Dean. At that moment, Sam slams his hand on the sigil, and a white light fills the room which blasts Castiel and Lucifer from the bunker. Dean is then released from the pillar and he leans down to pick Diana up. She comes up into Dean’s arms hugging him. She is shaking with fear. 

“It’s OK baby. It’s over.” Dean says trying to soothe and calm Diana. He’s rubbing her back and then strokes her hair. He pulls back to look into her face.

“Dean, what, ….was that Lucifer wearing Castiel’s body?” she choked out crying.

“Yes. Lucifer possessed Castiel and has been using him all this time. That’s why he made those strange comments and freaked you out a couple of weeks ago.”

Sam gets up off the floor, and gets the cloth that the object was wrapped in, and then presses it against his cut hand to stop the blood flow. He walks over to Dean and Diana.

“What do we do now?” asks Sam.

“What else. We hunt Lucifer. Trap the bastard and save Cas.” says Dean.

“Like I said Lucifer may be in control now but Cas may not come back willingly. He chose it.”

“No not possible.” Dean says.

“So how’d you get through today? What did you do?” asks Sam. He cuts Sam a look not wanting to go into details in front of Diana. 

“Nothing. Sam, they…” He can’t even speak about what happened. “I was just a witness.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. Story for another day.” Dean says quietly. The events on the submarine have taken an affect on Dean. The crew of the Blue Fin and the female spy Delphine all willingly sacrificed themselves for the sake of protecting the Hand of God to prevent it from ending up in the hands of the Nazis. Right now, he’s more interested in taking care of Diana, making her understand what actually happened, and how he can protect her. Dean puts an arm around Diana’s waist and then turns to take her to her room. 

“You OK Sam?” he asks.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Take care of Diana.” he says and then heads toward the infirmary to treat his cut hand.

Dean takes you to your room. He’s holding you up as you still are not steady on your feet. He’s worried that you may be in shock. He notices your water on the bedside table and offers it to you. You drink slowly. 

“Honey? I’m sorry that you were involved in this. I feel responsible for putting you in danger.”

“This wasn’t your fault, Dean. It was Luc-. Oh my God, I can’t even say his name.” 

“He’s evil incarnate. And a real dick!”

“So Sam was actually possessed by Lucifer and then they went to Hell?”

“Yes. I thought Sam was gone forever and I stopped hunting.”

“Really? You did? What did you do instead?”

“Construction. A neighbor friend had a business and he hired me on. I didn’t know what to do and just thought I would try it for a while. Ended up doing it for almost a year.”

“Was this here in Lebanon?”

“No. Cicero, Indiana. I only stayed there for about a year though and then we moved to Battle Creek, Michigan.”

“We? Who else was with you?” you ask.

“Uh. An old girlfriend of mine. Her name is Lisa and her son, Ben.” Dean said. It seemed that there was a pain in his eyes at the mention of their names.

“So what happened with you and Lisa?”

Dean takes a breath and then turns away. This is obviously a painful subject for him. Does he still have feelings for Lisa? Then you wonder, is Ben his son? Or did something tragic happen and they died?

“Dean, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you about Lisa. That’s your personal business and you don’t have to answer.”

Dean turns back to you and he shakes his head. “It’s OK. I tried to live a normal life and stop hunting, but I couldn’t. I was only pretending, going through the motions to please Lisa and Ben. And no, Ben is not my son, but man I loved that kid.” A tear has formed in his eye now as he is remembering their time together. You kiss his cheek and then hug him. 

“I’m sorry. Broken relationships hurt even though you know it’s for the best.”

“That’s why I left. To protect them from this life.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Demons! Demons kidnapped them to get to me. I tried to rescue them but a demon-possessed Lisa. He stabbed her and she was going to die once the demon left her body. I rushed her to the hospital but she was on life support and Ben would have been an orphan. Hell, no he wouldn’t because I would have taken him in and raised him as my son. Probably taught him to be a hunter.” 

“So Lisa died and then Ben?” Diana said slowly but stopped to let Dean continue his story.

Tears were falling from Dean’s eyes and he wiped them away frustrated. He got up from the bed and stood near the dresser leaning against it for support and trying to regain his composure. He turned back around and looked at you.

“No, Lisa’s alive and so is Ben. They may still be in Michigan but I don’t know and that’s how I want it. I called Castiel and told him the situation. He took care of it by healing Lisa. And then wiping both of their memories. They never knew that anything happened and they don’t know me.”

“Dean, why? You loved her and Ben. You could have been happy.”

“Yeah. And remember what you said about being happy last night.”

Your words came stinging back at you as if he had slapped you. You hadn’t meant for him to take your words to heart but you were trying to let him know more about you and your fears. He understood all too well, maybe even more than you did.

“Now do you understand why I am so screwed up? Why I can’t be with you or anybody else for that matter? I don’t deserve to be happy. But you do. You need to forget about me. If you were smart, you should pack your stuff up and get as far away from me as possible.” he practically spat the words out at you. They connected like a dagger into your heart being driven in by Dean himself. You felt the salty tears stinging your eyes now and blinked to fight them off. Maybe this is how he really feels and he just wants to get rid of you. He had his fun with you last night but now it’s time to move on. 

“So now I understand. You and Sam needed my help to get your inventory sorted and organized. I’ve helped you with that and now that it is more manageable, you don’t need me. Besides, you got what you really wanted last night anyway. You’re trying to make me understand that you’re so fucked up in the head that you can’t understand what a good man you are. And your heart is so broken and damaged that you can’t even love yourself much less show love to anyone else. Damn you, Dean Winchester!”

“Glad you finally came around to seeing things clearly instead of staying up in clouds.” Dean was being cruel now and it hurt. 

“Yeah, I’m glad I did too, before it was too late.”

“Too late for what?”

“From falling in love with you. That would have been the biggest mistake of my life. In fact, I’m going to do exactly what you want me to do - leave.” Diana went over to the closet and got her duffel bag. She started taking her clothes off of the hangers and stuffing them in the bag. She then moved to the dresser to get her other things but Dean was blocking her. 

“Can you move? Or just get out of here so I don’t have to be reminded that I ever met you?”

“Fine, sweetheart! Have it your way!” Dean leaves the room in a huff. You jump when you hear him slam his bedroom door.

You continue to pack your things. You’re so angry and hurt that you can’t see straight. It could be from the anger or the tears that are now flowing freely. You fling yourself down on the bed and sob into the pillow. What happened? One minute you were trying to comfort Dean, but then he got angry and then told you that he couldn’t love you, wouldn’t love you. That’s what he does with all of his relationships and now you were just another notch on his bedpost. The very thing you said you wouldn’t be.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter: 20

Dean’s POV

Sam and Dean hunted continuously for the next few months; anything that seemed like it was in their wheelhouse, Dean was ready to go. He was more headstrong and reckless than usual; busting into a vampire’s nest without waiting to see if Sam had his back. His anger, disappointment, and regret were helping to fuel the fire burning inside his gut. When they weren’t on a hunt, they spent their waking hours in search of Amara. Sam was searching constantly through the lore, on the internet, and through the database, Diana had created for any object, weapon, or spell that they could use to defeat Amara. Dean knew that Sam had reached out to Diana with a few questions but he never said how she was doing. Just as well that he didn’t know, but that didn’t make it any easier. His thoughts would drift to her at random moments: when he showered especially when he saw the lilac body wash that you had used, every time he passed by your old room which was every day, and on those times when he needed something from his bedside table drawer. He had forgotten that he had tossed it in thereafter he discovered it laying on the bed the next day. It was the necklace that he had given her for Valentine’s Day. Every time he saw it, he remembered every detail of that night, your first time together. He thought about throwing it away but he just couldn’t do it.

Amara had tired of waiting and she released another deadly fog on a small town in Idaho. Almost everyone in town, a little over a thousand people died. That would definitely get God’s attention as well as the Winchester boys. They went to the town and checked in with the sheriff’s office. One of their deputies had been infected by the fog and it caused her to kill her husband. She knew she needed to turn herself in so she went to the station. Sam and Dean went out to talk to her but she tries to kill them and the Sheriff ends up killing her. Then they noticed that the fog had reappeared and was approaching the station. Sam and Dean and as many townspeople as possible run inside the station and lock the doors. The fog seeps inside and starts to affect everyone except for Dean. Sam is infected by the fog and Dean cries out to God to save his brother. Just then Dean’s amulet which is in Sam’s shirt pocket starts to glow white. Dean realizes that Sam has been restored and that the fog is now gone. Dean takes the amulet which is still glowing and they both go outside. It’s then that they see a familiar face: it’s Chuck. Chuck said they needed to talk and he snapped his fingers and they were instantly standing back in the bunker. Sam immediately started trying to explain to God how much he admired him and questions that he wanted to ask, but not Dean. He wanted an explanation on how God could just disappear and go silent for years knowing that the Apocalypse had happened, people were dying, and now his sister was going to destroy the world. God explained that sometimes a parent must let go, sit back and watch what His child can do without any assistance. Dean still couldn’t understand; what if your children mess everything up or didn’t want to do anything at all and just let the chips fall where they may. God pointed out that’s where the free will comes into play.

“Dean, I’ve always had faith in you, even if you didn’t return the favor.” thus spake the Lord. With that Chuck turned and left the Library. Those words stayed with Dean and gave him a renewed confidence that he could do whatever was required to defeat Amara and save the world, even if it cost him his life.

Amara caused another fog of death, this time in Oklahoma. All of the townspeople were again killed except for one man. There was a witness to the fog and Sam and Dean needed to question him. He was a professor at a local university named Donatello. He said the fog was rolling in and people were choking. It came over him but instead of dying, he felt a jolt of electricity and it was as if his head would explode. He then saw visions of things that had happened with the previous prophet, Kevin Tran. Sam put a piece of paper down in front of him and asked him if he could read the words. He said no but then he read it as if he knew it all along. He was shocked and wanted to know what language that was. Sam told him it was angels and he said there’s no such thing. Donatello was an atheist. 

Dean thought he was losing his mind. At random times, Amara would appear to him in a vision. 

“I’ve missed you Dean. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken.” she would say. Amara tells Dean to get a message to God that his favorite, Lucifer, isn’t doing so well, and neither is his vessel Castiel. Dean sees Castiel as bloody and weak.

“Sam we’ve gotta do something. Amara is in my head and she’s showing me visions of what she’s doing to Lucifer, and I mean Cas.” Dean says. 

Amara appears to Dean again. “I need to meet you. Things are moving swiftly and changing rapidly, but not here, somewhere alone. “

Dean meets with Amara. “I missed you. And the sensations you arouse.” she says. “I know you feel the same way, so what do we do?”

“There can be no “us”.” Dean says. “We should just walk away.”

“Then why don’t you? This place, this world, hasn’t been especially easy for you. Why not consider my offer?”, she says trying to convince him.

“This world is flawed. I’ll give you that, but I’m not ready to say goodbye to it just yet.”

“But one way or the other, you will.” Amara says, reminding him of his mortality.

“You’re right, I am drawn to you. And it bothers the hell out of me, because I can’t control it.”

“Then why fight it? What you’re feeling is that I am the end of your struggle. Something stops you, keeps you from having it all.” she says. Amara then touches his cheek. Dean looks away.

“Where are your thoughts? Something’s different. You’ve spoken with God, you’ve seen him. You’ve betrayed me.” she says realizing that Dean was only distracting her while the others attempt to rescue Lucifer/Castiel.

Amara tries to stop Sam and Donatello from rescuing Lucifer, but before she can kill them, God transports them back to the safety of the bunker. God and Lucifer see each other for the first time in centuries. God heals his son’s wounds but Lucifer is still angry.

God and Lucifer have a heart to heart talk. Lucifer just wants an explanation about why his father banished him to Hell and he wants an apology. God is too concerned about being right to give him an apology, but finally, he does apologize to his son and tells him that he loved him the most. They then strategize with Sam and Dean on how they are going to attack Amara. Lucifer says that before it took him and his brothers, Gabriel and Raphael, along with God to lock her away. The boys suggest that there are others that can help in their place. Sam reaches out to Rowena and her other witch friends, while Dean goes to see Crowley to get him and his demons on board. Lucifer/Castiel appears in Heaven and explains the plan to the angels. 

Meanwhile, Amara finds Donatello at his home and beats him up, throwing him around the room. She wants information about where God is. She sucks out his soul and then knows that God is with the Winchesters. Amara appears in the bunker and looks around. She finds Dean’s room and looks at his old pictures of him and his mom.

Sam, Dean, Crowley, Lucifer, and Rowena have gathered to prepare for the battle. God makes his grand appearance in a bright light and then greets them all. He welcomes Rowena and Crowley and tells them he’s been watching them for a while. Rowena apologizes for all the evil things she has done, but God dismisses it. He admits she and Crowley are his guilty pleasures. God confirms that the plan is for the witches to attack first, then the demons, and then Lucifer will attack her. Once she is weakened, He will take back the Mark and reassign it so that she will be safely locked away again. God looks at Sam and Sam says OK. Dean is confused and then realizes that Sam has volunteered to take the Mark. He protests and says he should be the one to take back the Mark. God refuses saying he’s tainted and it wouldn’t work. Dean pulls Sam aside for an explanation. Sam makes Dean agree to go along with God’s plan, even though he doesn’t like it. 

Rowena astral-projects out to Amara to lure her into the trap. Amara knows that she has been brought into a trap but it doesn’t matter. Rowena and the witches strike her, but Amara kills the other 4 witches but Rowena is still alive. Then the sky swirls and the angel blast comes down on Amara. Before she can recover black smoke from the demons attack her and Crowley attacks as well. Amara is weakened. She staggers inside and confronts her brother. Lucifer attacks her from behind and stabs her with a spear. God apologizes to Amara. Amara tells him that they were equal but he couldn’t handle that. God wanted to be greater than her, and He wanted to create the world. Amara says she loved him. She tells God to kill her. God starts to take the mark off of Amara and put it on Sam. Amara reaches out and chokes God, and then banishes Lucifer from Castiel’s body. She attacks God with a blinding light. God falls as if dead. That’s when the sun starts to diminish. Amara tells them that her brother is dying, and will dim and fade away to nothing. Amara still wants to destroy the world though. She says “Welcome to the End!” Amara then disappears.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter: 21

Warning: Sexual Content 

Diana awoke with sunlight streaming in between the blinds and landing directly on her face. She squinted and then closed her eyes again. She realized that she had slept through the night without a nightmare of Lucifer with his hands around her neck, or Dean making sweet love to her only to suddenly attack her and stab her repeatedly in the chest. It had been almost 3 months since that day when she had come face to face with the Prince of Darkness in the form of her angel friend Castiel. And then to be comforted and cared for by Dean until he admitted that he didn’t love her, had never loved her, and never would. They fought and she lied to him telling him that she didn’t love him either even though her heart was breaking in two. Each day since then, she thought about Dean. What he was doing, and with whom, was he on a hunt, was he safe or could he be dead. She hoped he was alive because even though she was still angry at the way things had ended, she still loved him. She had talked to Sam a few times since that day, usually about the database or the inventory system, but when he asked about how she was doing, she always made up an excuse to get off the phone. He would always say that he was sorry for the way things ended and that Dean felt bad too. She didn’t want an apology from Sam but she would have to take it because she knew one wasn’t coming from Dean. 

She had no plans for the day, except for preparing to defend her thesis. She had gotten the email from her Senior Faculty advisor that her proposal had been approved and she would move forward with the formal defense. It was scheduled for May 15 which left her only a week to put the finishing touches on her power point presentation and prepare to answer questions from the review committee. She got up and went to the kitchen and made herself a coffee in the Keurig. She took it to the couch and sat down reaching for the TV remote. She flipped it on to the news. She wasn’t really focused on what they were saying because it was the same everyday: murders, stabbings, warehouse fire, celebrity divorce, and the weather. 

“Authorities with NASA have no clue what is causing the sun’s diminishing brightness. It has decreased for the last two days. Scientists speculate that there is an unseen force in space pulling the sun away from the center although they cannot find any evidence to support their theory. We will continue coverage on this story and break into regular programming with updates as they become available.”

Diana thought this sounded odd but didn’t give it another thought. She picked up her laptop and checked her emails. She responded back to a few which were from other graduate students who were going through the same process and anxiously awaiting their defense day. She then reviewed her PP presentation and rehearsed it again for the 300th time it seemed. She decided to call her dad.

“Hey honey. How are you doing?” he said, glad to hear from you.

“OK dad. Just going over my presentation again. I’m so ready to get this behind me.”

“You’re going to be great! I just know it. I wished I was on your committee but you and I both know that would never be allowed.”

“I know. It’s fine. I would probably be even more nervous with you there.”

“Why?”

“Because I look up to you and you’re my hero. I would hate to see that I had disappointed you if I totally bombed.”

“You could never disappoint me honey. So, how are you really?”

“Dad, I don’t want to talk about him. There’s no point. It’s over and I’ve got to get on with my life.”

“I know but I hate seeing you hurting. I wish I could just snap my fingers and take the pain away. Make everything go back to the way it was before you met the Winchesters.” You felt the sting with the mention of the name. You hadn’t told your dad everything about Sam and Dean for obvious reasons. He still thought your relationship was with Sam and that due to his constant out of town business trips and an infidelity on Sam’s part was the reason for the break up. You did say that you had fallen in love but that he didn’t feel the same about you. 

“Me too dad. So are we still on for lunch Sunday?”

“Definitely. It’s your turn to pick the place.”

“Let me think about it and I’ll text you. Love you.”

“Love you more. Bye.”

Diana was thankful that her relationship with her dad had improved. Now they talked or texted each other daily and had a standing lunch or dinner date every Sunday. He had helped you through those first few days when you returned home. Let you cry on his shoulder, fed you when you didn’t want to eat, and sat with you, until you fell asleep, and then was there to hug and calm you after the nightmares. He was the only person who you could trust in this life.

\--------------------

After Amara disappeared, Dean gets up and goes to check on Castiel. He awakes and tells Dean that Amara blasted Lucifer out of his body. Sam checks on God who has now stirred but he says that he feels his light fading and knows that he’s dying. Rowena and Crowley come back in to discuss how the plan went wrong. They all make their way outside to see that the sun is not as bright, as if it too is dying. Castiel says that “the sun is the source of all life on Earth. Without it everything just wastes away.” God then transports everyone back to the bunker. He still has powers but it has definitely weakened him. 

Sam and Castiel find Dean in the kitchen with a six-pack of his favorite beer. He’s already drunk one and is starting on the others.

“Really?” Sam says.

“Yes, really. Come on, give me something to shoot or kill, and I’ll do it. We hit Amara with everything that we got, and she walked it off. Now God is dying. How the hell do we fix the freaking sun?”

Dean turns up the bottle determined to get drunk until the end comes. Sam goes back out to the Library where Rowena and God are chatting and sipping tea. Crowley is in one of the leather chairs with a bottle of whiskey.

“Samantha.” Crowley says holding up the bottle for him to join in.

“What are we doing?” Sam says.

“Nothing.” says Rowena.

“Exactly. Amara’s out there eating the freaking sun, and we’re doing nothing.”

“And you have a better idea?” adds Crowley.

“Yes. Anything. That’s my better idea because anything is better than this.” Sam says frustrated with them all.

“Sam, I get it. Even if we could lock Amara away, it wouldn’t do any good now. I’m dying.” God   
says. “And when I’m gone, the cosmic balance between light and dark, it’s over.”

Sam seems to realize that it’s true.

“All right, but then if we can’t cage her, then we have to kill her.” he says.

\---------------------

There was a knock at your door and you jumped up to answer it. That was fast you thought as you had only ordered the pizza 10 minutes ago. You swing the door open to see Dean standing in your doorway. The shock of seeing him takes your breath away, along with the fact that he looks even better than the last time you laid eyes on him. The pain in your heart slices through you again and the anger builds in your belly.

“What are you doing here?” you say with an edge of hatred.

“I needed to see you, one last time. Will you please let me come in?” Dean says with sincerity.

“Why should I listen to you? 

“Just let me explain what’s on my mind and in my heart. I’m not here to make you change your mind about me but it’s important that I say these things to you.”

You stand staring at him and switch your weight from one side to the other. Against your better judgement, you move aside and make way for him to enter. He steps inside and heads to the couch and sits down. You close the door and turn around.

“Do you want a beer?” you ask heading to get yourself one.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” he says. You grab two beers and then walk to him and set it down a little forcefully in front of him on the coffee table. You didn’t want to take the chance of his hand touching yours.

“Thanks.” he says and then picks it up and takes a huge sip. He then sets it back down and takes a deep breath. To you it appears as if he’s nervous, but that can’t be it. Dean Winchester is confident and strong and not afraid of anything or anybody. You sit down in the recliner which is off to the side to avoid the close contact of the couch.

“Diana, first let me apologize for the way I treated you that night. I was angry and frustrated with myself, not you.”

“It didn’t feel that way to me.”

“Again, I’m sorry.” He paused and then took another drink from the beer. “Have you ever told a little white lie? Something that you knew was a lie, but you did it to protect the other person’s feelings.”

“Yes, of course. Everybody has.”

“That’s what I was doing….for you.” 

“For me? Why?” 

“To protect you. If I made you mad at me, you would do exactly what I wanted you to do. Leave and never look back.”

“And you wanted me to do that because you were tired of me being around. You finally got me to willingly give myself to you on Valentine’s Day. I played the whole seduction thing, even wore a french maid’s outfit like a stupid fool. So you had your fun, and then it was time for me to get the hell out.” you said rising and coming toward him.

“I guess I deserve that but you still don’t understand,” he said getting up and coming to stand facing you.

“Then by all means, make me understand.” 

Dean grabs your arms above the elbows and kisses you hard. His lips crushing and biting at your lower lip. He pulls back and looks at you with a fire in his eyes. 

“Let go of me.” you shout, your anger reaching a fevered pitch. You begin to thrash trying to loosen his grip from your arms.

“Not until you listen to me.” Dean said, still keeping his hold on your arms.

“I was, and then you decided to try to...I don’t know what you were trying to do by kissing me.”

“I don’t know. Just got carried away.”

“Well let me help you figure it out.” 

It was at that moment that you did the leg sweep kick again, but this time Dean didn’t let go and he fell and he brought you down right on top of him. You were inches away from his face and your chests were pressed together, and your legs had sprawled out so that you were straddling his crotch. 

“Now what?” Dean said grinning even though this was not a time to joke. Being on top of him, smelling his musky scent, and looking into those green eyes, made your insides melt. 

Knock, knock, knock. Dean released you and you scrambled up off of him. You hurried to the door and opened it. The pizza delivery guy smiled and said your name and told you how much you owed. You turned back to get the payment watching Dean getting up off the floor. He nodded at the delivery guy who just grinned as it dawned on him that he had interrupted something. You paid the guy and gave him a nice tip.

“Have a nice evening.” the guy said and gave Dean a sideways wink and a nod. You closed the door and then turned taking the pizza to the table. 

“Are we done here?” you asked, glaring at Dean.

“No, I still haven’t said everything that I need to.”

“Then please, get on with it.” you said and then came back and sat down on the couch. Dean came and sat beside you.

“OK. I made you mad so that you would leave the bunker and never come back. I wanted you to hate me and never think about me again. That way, you’d be safe and not get hurt.”

“Well your plan failed, because I think about you everyday. I physically hurt everyday from a broken heart.” you said. You could feel the tears starting to gather and you were blinking to keep them in. “I had finally stopped dreaming about you, and thought I’m starting to get past it, past you. And then you show up here today.”

“I’m so sorry. I hate this. I never wanted to hurt you but then, we..I mean I.” he stopped himself because he didn’t want to pull you back into those feelings again. Or was it just too hard for him to admit.

“What? Just say it” you said as a tear dropped from your eye. Dean reached up and brushed it away.

“I couldn’t let you go on hating me without knowing the truth. I’m sure eventually Sam would call you and tell you what happened, but I wanted you to hear it from me.” Dean was talking fast and not making any sense.

“Why would Sam call me? What’s going to happen?”

“I’m facing Amara tomorrow. It’s basically a suicide mission, and I’m fine with that. It’s the way it should be.” 

“No, you can’t. Isn’t there another way?” you said reaching out and touching Dean’s hand. 

“I’m the only one that she wants. I’m the one that freed her. We’re bound together and she’s offered me a deal. If I go away with her, forever, then she’ll spare everyone else. I’m willing to make the sacrifice to ensure that the people I care about, the ones that I love, are safe.”

Diana just stares at Dean as the tears fall. She understands now that Dean just came to tell her goodbye. And it was going to be a final goodbye. She’d never see him again. He’d be gone from this earth. 

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” You nodded slowly and Dean touched your cheek softly, wiping the tears away. “I’d do anything to keep you safe, even if it means I have to die…..because Diana Morgan, I love you.”

What? What did he just say? Did he say those 3 words that you were afraid to say to him and that you thought you would never hear come from his lips.

“You love me? But...that’s not what I--” Diana’s head was spinning and nothing was making sense. 

“I finally realized that after you left, all I wanted was you. I wanted to be able to talk to you, laugh with you, make love to you all night, and then fall asleep with you in my arms, just like Valentine’s Day. But that would be selfish on my part. I live a dangerous life, and if you are with me, then your life will always be in danger. Just like Jo’s was, and just like Lisa’s was. I can’t bear to have another woman that I love die because of me.” 

“But Dean, that’s not fair to me either. That’s not your choice, it should be mine.”

“No, it’s got to be my way.”

“No, it doesn’t! Because I love you too! I’ve loved you since that day that we talked things out and I told you we needed to slow things down. I was already falling for you but I was scared. Scared of you rejecting me. Scared that I could never make you as happy as you make me.”

“Come here.” he said, pulling you to him. You melted into his arms and he kissed you with all the tenderness and love that you deserved. All that he had to give. You broke the kiss finally and stood up taking his hand and tugging it, begging him to follow. You led him to your bedroom and had him sit on the bed. You just stared into his eyes as you started to undress. His eyes were locked onto yours and you could tell that he wanted this. Not in a lustful sense of a one night stand but a longing to reconnect with someone that he loved. When you were before him naked, he reached out and wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his head on your chest. You stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. You then kissed his right ear and used your tongue to lick the outside and trailed all the way down to his ear lobe. You then sucked it into your mouth. You heard Dean moan and then came back to face him. You kissed his soft, pink lips and he parted to accept your tongue. It was slow and deliberate, exploring each part of his mouth. Your tongues were mingled together sliding back and forth. You parted and then gave his left ear the same treatment. You used your finger to trace his jawline and his scratchy 2 day beard was pricking at your finger, but you didn’t care. You kissed him again softly but didn’t linger this time. You tug at the hem of his shirt and he holds his arms up to help you take it off. His bare chest was smooth and muscular as you massaged him and let your hands roam all over. You kissed and sucked at his neck not caring if you left a mark. Dean was moaning and let out his breath. 

“Damn baby. You are driving me crazy with your mouth.”

“That’s the idea.” You continue the slow torturous pleasure on his neck, chest, stopping briefly to lick his nipples, and then move down his stomach. You tug at his belt buckle and push him slowly down flat on the bed. You unbutton his jeans and unzip them and then grasp the belt loops with your thumbs and then tug. Dean raises up to help them come free. He also can’t wait now and has slid to the edge of the bed and takes his boxers off himself, then throws them aside. You drop to your knees and touch his penis which is fully erect now. You kiss the tip and lick the slit and lift your eyes up to see his reaction. He is staring down at you. You open your lips and lower your mouth around his cock. Your tongue licks up one side and down the other then comes up underneath and slides up to the tip. You reach up and caress his balls and he jerks slightly. You pull back and blow a soft, hot breath onto his balls and dick. 

“Diana, I need you. I need to touch you.”

“No, not yet. This is my time to make love to you. Please allow me to finish. I want to remember every part of your body.”

You continue the slow tease of your tongue and mouth on his dick. Dean has his hand on the back of your head, his fingers curled into your soft brown hair. He moves his hips but not forcefully. You know he wants the quick, hard thrusts that will increase his climax but he is honoring your wishes to make it last as long as possible. You finally move onto his inner thighs kissing and licking them. You move down his legs past his knees and kiss each calf, ankles, and then take his feet into your hands. You start to massage them. You know that there are pleasure points on the bottom of the feet. You rub them lightly with your thumb from the heel to the toes. You then kiss each foot and press your boobs up against them. Dean wiggles his toes against your breasts. He can’t take anymore and rotates his position so that his head is right below your pussy. He reaches up and parts your slit and sticks his finger inside. He wiggles it back and forth, in and out and then removes it. He brings it to his lips and sucks it.

“So sweet, baby. I gotta drink your juices.” 

He moves his head upward and his tongue slides into your wet pussy. You moan out and steady yourself with your hands on either side of his chest. He flicks his tongue inside your walls and then puts it right on your clit. He feels your hips jerk but continues to flick faster. 

“Oh Dean. Need you so badly. Need to feel you inside me.” 

He moves to make room for you on the bed. He changes position again so that he’s now laying beside you. He cups one of your breasts and licks the nipple, feeling it grow to a stiff peak. He does the same to the other nipple and uses his finger to circle it. You feel the heat inside you and are aching for his dick. He reaches down and parts your legs and slips two fingers inside. Your pussy clenches and he feels the vibrations that he has started within you. 

“Gonna make you come all over my hand.” 

He picks up the pace and you can’t hold back. You move your hips to meet his thrusts and within a minute, your dam has broken and is spilling forth. He withdraws his hand and takes another taste. Dean then repositions himself in between your legs. 

“Ready baby?”

“Yes Dean. Please fuck me.” 

He eases his cock inside you and it fits like a glove. You wrap your legs around him and he goes in even further. He starts the push and pull rhythm and he is loving it. You are trying to keep your hips steady but the friction is too much. You tilt your hips upward to meet his thrusts and it is mind blowing. You are being fucked by Dean. Just like in your dreams. No not like the dream, please no. Your logical mind knows that Dean would never hurt you by trying to kill you as soon as you finished fucking, but those nightmares are attacking your thoughts now. You must have stopped moving because Dean stops humping to look at you.

“Baby, are you OK? Am I hurting you?”

“No. I’m fine. Just a random thought. Please make me think of something else.”

Dean continues the pace again but then wants to change positions.

“Hands and knees.” He helps you get into position and places his hands on your hips. “Do you trust me baby?”

“Yes, Dean.” 

With that he pushes into your pussy and starts to build. Diana moans and her breathing is coming in short bursts. He sees your tattoo again up close and personal. He leans his lips down and kisses it. Diana jumps but then realizes what his gesture means and your heart melts all over again for this man. Dean takes one of his fingers and sucks on it and then places both hands on your ass cheeks. He pulls them apart and touches his wet finger to your puckered asshole. You tense as you have never had anyone touch you there before. You are slightly afraid but excited at the same time. You feel the tip of his finger start to breach the opening. You almost shouted out “Tornado”, but you bit your tongue. You felt Dean’s finger making slow round movements and your ass was responding to his finger. You wanted to feel more. You feel him push his finger a little deeper into your virgin ass. The walls are tight but his slow movements don’t hurt. In fact, this action is setting off a waterfall inside your pussy. Dean’s cock is fucking away faster and faster and you feel the muscles contracting. He senses your urgency so he pokes his finger all the way in and starts to move it back and forth. He wants you to experience an ass finger fucking while his cock pulses inside you. 

“Oh God, I’m coming. Yes. Yes. Dean. I fucking love you!” Diana screams out.

Dean’s dick spasms and his volcano spews forth hot ropes of semen. He continues to thrust until his dick runs dry and collapses onto his side holding Diana around the waist so that he doesn’t slip out. He wants her to have all of him. 

“Love you too.” He takes your chin in his hand and moves it to look at him. “I mean every word.” 

He then kisses your lips gently. They lay there together, catching their breaths and allowing the vibrations of their love making to subside.

Diana turns to face him and nestles into his shoulder and chest. Dean strokes your hair and places soft kisses to your forehead. He then feels wet drops on his shoulder and hears your sobs.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Not again.” you plead.

“I wish I could stay here with you like this forever. But I have to face her. If I don’t we’re all doomed. One life in exchange for millions. It’s a raw deal but I’ve been there before. I’ve been to hell and back, and I’m probably going again.”

“Don’t say that. I can’t bear to go on without you. I don’t want to live in a world without Dean Winchester,.” you cry out. Your sobs have gotten stronger and your shoulders are shaking.   
He hugs you tightly to his chest and lets you cry it out. After a minute, your sobs fade and you're hiccupping trying to regain control of your breathing.

“Shhh. Shhh. It’s going to be….” Dean realizes he can’t promise that everything is going to be OK. He’ll be dead and she’ll be alone again. 

Just then Dean’s phone rings, but he ignores it because he doesn’t want to let you go.

“Aren’t you going to get that?” you ask.

“It’s probably Sam. I’ll call him in a minute.” 

Dean kisses you again and then moves away some strands of your hair off of your face and wipes at the dried tears. 

“Hey, I know this isn’t going to be easy for you, but can you make me a promise?”

“What?” you say looking at him. 

In that moment, you want to remember every detail of his face: the chiseled jawline, that hint of a five o’clock shadow of stubble on his cheeks, those sweet, soft lips, his nose so straight and accentuated by the cutest smattering of freckles, his furrowed brow and forehead. But it’s those eyes that you’ll always remember. Those lipid pools of bright green that make you weak and surrender to whatever he wants, just like whatever he’s asking of you now.

“Don’t sit alone and grieve for me. Don’t stay shut up and closed off to the world. Go out and make something of your life. Become a professor just like your dad. And when love comes along again, and it will because you’re too damn beautiful and smart and sexy to not be loved. Don’t say “no” to him. Just let him love you, the way that you deserve to be loved. Promise me?”

The tears had started anew at Dean’s request. How could you face tomorrow without him especially since he had declared his love for you. But you would do it for him. Through the tears you swallowed and then said “I promise.”

“That’s my girl.” He gave you a peck on the cheek and then slipped out of bed to get his phone.  
He saw that it was a missed call from Sam and a message. He listened to it and then turned back to you. “I gotta go. Sam’s got some news.”

You wanted to grab him and beg him to stay but you knew that would only delay the inevitable and would make you look weak and pathetic. Dean grabbed his clothes from the floor and dressed quickly. Before he left, he looked at you one last time. 

“I love you, Diana.”

You nodded and then said, “I love you more.” 

Dean turned and then walked out of the room and then you heard the apartment door close. You let the tears and the pain and heartache overtake you then.

\----------------------

Dean arrived back at the bunker. Everyone was seated around the library, drinks in hand and looking glum.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked, looking to Sam for an explanation.

“We’re going to kill Amara.”

“So now you want to kill her? You’re cool with this?” he says, looking at God. “Because, you know, last time”

“Chuck’s dying”, Sam blurted out. “No offense, God”

“”Yeah, no. I am dying.” God says.

“So we really don’t have a choice. I mean, you’ve got darkness and light. You take one side away.” Sam continues.

“That upsets the scales, the whole balance of the universe,” Cas interjects.

“Exactly. But you take both away, and now both sides of the scales are empty.” 

“Yes, it’s balanced.” Cas says completing Sam’s point.

Dean speaks up. “Hey I’m game. But how are we gonna do this? Lucifer hit her with a Hand of God and, well, we saw how that turned out.”

“She does seem impossible to destroy.” says Castiel.

“Is she, Chuck?” Sam asks. All eyes are on Chuck now.

“Well, I...the Darkness might have a weakness. Light.”

“He tells us now.” quips Crowley sarcastically.

“Well I just wanted to trap her. I didn’t want to murder her.”

“OK, but now that we’re trying to end her, how much light are we talking about?” asks Sam.

“I don’t know. Ten thousand suns. Set to supernova.” God replies.

Dean smirks and says, “Well you’re God, so just God them up.”

“Look at me. I’m not in the best shape right now.” 

“Then we need some new ideas. Rowena, how about the Book of the Damned?”

“This is beyond me.” she says.

“Crowley?”

“Oh, I got nothing.”

“Well what about souls?” Cas asks. “They fuel your demon deals. Souls are living batteries, they’re full of energy. They’re full of light. Each one is as powerful as 100 suns?”

“OK, so if we got this kind of juice then what?” Dean asks.

“If you get me enough souls, I can build a bomb.” Rowena says. 

“Would that do the trick?” Dean asks.

“Maybe” God replies.

“OK, Plan B,” says Sam. 

“OK, how many souls are we talking here?” Dean asks Rowena.

“The more the better.”

Crowley now rises and says, “Even if you could get that kind of fire power..you really think it would work?”

“I can ask the angels. Heaven is full of souls.” adds Cas.

“Okay. What else have we got?” Sam adds.

“Ghosts.” declares Dean. “I mean, they’re just souls with baggage right?”

“Yeah, but we would need a whole lot of them.” Sam says. 

“Waverly Hills.” Dean says and Sam chuckles remembering.

“Waverly Hills Sanitorium. Thousands died there,” Sam added.

“There’s a ton of ghosts.” Dean says.

“This is desperate, and stupid.” Crowley says.

“Well desperate and stupid’s pretty much all we got right now, so” Dean added.

“Fine. I’ll go raid Hell. See what’s left.” Crowley says.

“All right. Let’s get to work.” Sam says feeling hopeful with the plan.

\---------------

Sam and Dean arrive at Waverly Hills and pack up their duffel bags with salt rifles, iron posts, salt, a drop cloth, and a crystal given to them by Rowena. She tells them at the right moment to say the magic word and the crystal will do the rest. They enter and start to set their traps. At first nothing is happening so Sam decides to go round them up while Dean spreads a salt circle around the large ballroom. The ghosts are coming at Sam one after another now. He fires off a round at them and they dissipate. Sam is luring them closer to the room and Dean is waiting just as a ghost comes at him. He swipes it away with an iron post. Sam comes running into the room allowing the ghosts to follow him in. As soon as the ghosts assemble, Dean shoots out the drop cloth over the door frame, dropping the salt and sealing the ghosts into the room. Just then a large ghost attacks Sam, grabbing him around the throat. Dean swipes at another with the iron post as Sam yells out, “Say the magic word!” Dean grabs the crystal and tosses it in the air and shouts “Haggis!” The crystal glows a bright pink and it sucks all the ghosts into it, then comes to rest on the floor. The boys are breathless after the battle but feel good that they completed their task. They pack up and head back to the bunker.

Castiel has returned from Heaven with bad news. “The angels won’t help.”

“They know that this is the end, right? Of everything?” Dean says.

“Yes.”

“And they don’t care?” says Sam.

“It’s not that it’s..” he casts a glance at God. “They know that God is dying, and they don’t think we can win this. Souls or no souls. They’re sealing up Heaven, and they’re “Dying with dignity”.” Castiel says.

“Great. OK, Crowley, what about you?” Sam asks.

“Well I had all the souls we’d need.”

“What do you mean had?” Dean asks.

“While I was indisposed a few of my demonic pals decided to raid my stash.”

“Well what we have is not enough,” Cas says. 

At that moment, the lights in the bunker change to a red glow and there are footsteps heard approaching the bunker doors. Sam and Dean ready their guns at the intruder. The heavy metal door opens and Billie, the reaper comes in and walks down the stairs toward the group. She says a quick hello to Crowley who just grins.

“What are you doing here?” Sam asks.

“I saw you boys at Waverly Hills, and call me a curious kitten, but with, you know, the credits about to roll, gotta ask. Why are you boys busting ghosts?” 

“What do you care?” shoots Dean back at her.

“Dead folks. Kind of my thing. So spill.”

“We’re collecting souls to build a bomb.” Sam tells her.

“To blow the Darkness to Hell”, Dean adds.

“Okay”, she says looking at the glowing crystal on the table.

“What does that mean “Okay”?” Sam says.

“It means I’m about an hour away from reaping God himself. Little tip. You want souls, call a reaper.”

\------------------

Meanwhile in the park, there is an old lady leaving birdseed out for the pigeons. She sees Amara and says hi to her and then sits down beside her. Amara says “hello”.

“I like your dress. It’s pretty fancy for the park, but at least you made an effort. Do you want to feed them?” she says offering Amara the bag.

“I shouldn’t.” Amara says.

“I’ve been feeding these birds going on 20 years now. They’re practically family. And I know that makes me sound like a crazy old bat, but Heck. My husband died a couple of years ago, and my son keeps slipping me these brochures for retirement communities, AKA where they send old folks to die, but not to make a fuss about it.”

“So you hate him?” Amara asks.

“Well, a little bit. Sometimes. But you know family. Even when you hate them, you still love them.” Amara is thinking about the old lady’s words now and seems sad.

\----------------

Meanwhile, back at the bunker, Billie takes the crystal and holds it out in her hand. It begins to glow brighter and instantly souls are drawn to her and right into the crystal. Dean stares at her and the crystal in surprise. 

“How many souls are in there?” Cas asks.

“A couple hundred thousand.” Billie replies. “I raided the Veil. Like I said. Dead folks, kind of my thing.”

Rowena now stands and stares intently at the crystal. Billie hands the crystal over to her.

“Super.” she says and starts to leave.

“See you around.” Dean quips at her. 

Billie turns and says, “Yeah. You will. Just hope it’s not today.” She then cuts her eyes at the King of Hell. “Crowley.” Crowley gives a knowing smirk and then turns back to see all eyes on him.

“Now what?” Dean says.

“We now have the bomb, so we just gotta find Amara.” Sam adds.

God stands up still feeling weak but says, “I can track her now because she’s not warded, why should she be. She’s won.”

“We need somebody to get close to her. Someone with a personal connection.” says Castiel.

Everyone turns to look at Dean and he realizes that it’s true.

“Well what are we waiting for? How do I smuggle this thing?”

“We could always shove it up your --” Crowley retorts.

“Hey,” Dean glares at him.

“You won’t carry the bomb. You’ll be the bomb.” Rowena says looking at Dean. “I’m gonna take what’s in there, and put it in here,” she says pointing toward Dean’s heart. A hush comes over the room and Sam looks sadly at Dean. “Once you get close to her, you press your fingers together like so ….Boom.” 

Rowena says the incantation and then with a thrust of her hand at the crystal, it expels a white beam of light from the crystal directly into Dean’s chest. He tightens his fists and his face is wracked with pain and hundreds of thousands of souls flood his body. He gasps and groans as the light vanishes and they know he is now armed. 

“Dean, are you OK? How do you feel?” ask Cas.

“Like my insides just got flame broiled. Is that normal?”

“Sweetie, we’re so far past normal. We’ve got about an hour, maybe a wee bit more, then you’re literally a walking, ticking time bomb.” says Rowena. Sam hangs his head but no one else speaks. 

Dean has one last request. He wants to visit his mom’s grave. 

“Dean you know you don’t have to do this.” Sam says.

“Of course I do. I just have to get close. I can do that.” 

“You know if this works, that bomb goes off.” Sam doesn’t finish his thought.

“I know.” Dean says and then pats his brother on the shoulder. Dean turns and then walks back to the group. 

“You cool with this?” Dean asks God, who is now standing with Rowena who is holding him up.

“No,” he replies. “Even after everything she’s done, Amara’s still my sister. She’s my family. I don’t want to see her dead. But..I understand.”

Castiel calls out to Dean and he turns around. Cas pulls Dean into a hug.

“Cas. OK, alright.” 

“I could go with you.” Cas says.

“No. I gotta do this alone.” he says. “Listen, if...when this works, Sam and Diana are gonna be a mess. So look out for them, okay? Make sure Sam doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“Of course,” he replies. 

Sam has walked up to join the group by this time and just stands quietly.

“Okay, look, I want a big funeral, all right? I’m talking epic. Open bar, choir. Sabbath cover band and Gary Busey reading the eulogy.” Deans says with his best attempt at humor.

“Done.” says his brother.

“And for my ashes, I’d like it here. Yeah, as far as eternal resting places go.” 

Dean then takes the keys to the Impala out of his pocket and heads toward Sam. Sam starts shaking his head.

“Come on you know the drill. No chick flick moments, come on.” Dean says, looking out into the distance. Sam hesitantly takes the keys from his brother’s hand.

“Yeah, you love chick flicks.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I do. Come here.” Dean grabs Sam and pulls him into a brotherly bear hug. Sam pats his brother on the back and they part, with Sam wiping away a tear. 

“OK, let’s do this.” Dean says. God snaps his finger and Dean disappears. Dean is immediately transported to the park where Amara was earlier.

\---------------

The Impala pulls up in front of a bar and everyone unloads. Crowley and Rowena are sitting at the bar while God sits alone thinking. Sam approaches him and sits down in front of him.  
“How are you holding up?” Sam asks.  
“Uh. Aces.”  
\--------------

“Dean. How did you find me?” Amara says. Dean turns around to face her.

“Does it matter? I'm here to give you what you want. Me,”

“That’s a change.” she says. Dean starts to walk slowly toward her.

“Well I can’t just stand by and watch the world, my friends, and my family die. So if becoming a part of you takes me away from that, then I’m in.”

“You…..and that bomb in your chest?” she says coldly. Dean freezes staring at her.

“Do you think I can’t taste the power coming off of you? Please. The problem is, you’ve never been able to hurt me, so what makes this time any different?”

“I don’t have a choice. What you’re doing to the sun.”

“That’s not me. With my brother getting weaker, the scales are tipping. Away from light.”

“And into darkness.”

“Into nothing. When God’s gone, the universe, everything will cease to exist. Including me. My brother betrayed me. He locked me away for billions of years. He sent you to execute me.”

“No, no, no. He zapped me here, yes, but he didn’t want this. This wasn’t his idea. You’re family. He doesn’t want you dead. He doesn’t want any of this. Is this what you wanted?”

“No. I just wanted to hurt him. I wanted to make him pay.”

“Yeah, that’s revenge. It’ll get you out of bed in the morning. And when you get it, it feels great. For about five minutes. I’ve been there. Me and Sam, we have had our fair share of fights. More than our share, but no matter how bad it got, we always made it right. Because we’re family. I need him. And he needs me. And when everything goes to crap, that’s all you’ve got. Family.  
Now you might be an all-powerful being, but I think you’re human where it counts. You simply need your brother.” 

Amara scoffs. “Just stop.”

“You don’t want to be alone. Not really.” Dean begins to walk slowly toward her again. “I mean, hell, maybe that’s why you wanted me. But deep down, you didn’t really want me. Because I’m not him. Maybe I can kill you, or maybe I can’t. Maybe if I pull this trigger, we all live happily ever after. Or maybe we die bloody, or maybe it doesn’t matter. Because maybe there’s a different way. So I’m gonna ask you again. Put aside the rage, put aside the hate. And you tell me. What do you want?”

\-----------------

“You know, we need you to try and hang in there just a little longer.” Sam says to God.

“I know. I’m trying.”

“I’m going to go get you some water.” Sam says and then turns and walks to the bar area. He pours him a glass of water and then when he turns back around, God is gone.

\----------------

God has suddenly appeared in the park with Amara and Dean.

“What? Why did you bring me here?”

“Brother, I. In the beginning it was just you and me. We were family. I loved you, and I thought….I knew that you loved me.”

“I did. I do.”

“But then you went and you made all these other things. I hated them. I hated you for needing something else. Something that wasn’t me. And then you locked me away. And all I could think about was making you suffer.”

“You had your reasons.” God said moving closer to his sister.

“I did. And I thought revenge would make me happy. But I was wrong. What you’ve made. It’s beautiful.” Amara smiles as she continues. “It took me a long time to see that. I know that we can’t go back to the way things were. I don’t want to. But I wish….I wish we could just be family again.”

“I do too.” God then reaches out his hand to Amara. She takes his hand and there is a glow that emanates from their touch. Dean stares in amazement at this reconciliation between God and his sister. At that moment, the sun begins to shine brighter in the sky.

\-----------------

Back at the bar, they all see the sunlight streaming into the bar. They rush outside and use their hands to shield the brightness of the sun.

“He did it.” says Crowley.

“He bloody did it.” says Rowena.

“And Dean?” says Cas. Sam lets the reality sink in and he’s shaken. His brother is gone.

\-----------------

Amara then stretches out her hand towards her brother and heals him. They smile at each other and then look at Dean. 

“I think we’re just gonna go away for a little while,” says God.

“Hey. I get it. Family meeting.” Dean says, smiling.

God then walks over to Dean and stretches out his hand. “But first”. God withdraws all those souls from inside Dean. Dean winces but is relieved to be unburdened from carrying the bomb.

“Better?”

“What about us? What about Earth?” Dean asks.

“Earth will be fine. It’s got you and Sam.” Dean seems confused. God returns to Amara’s side and takes her hand.

“Dean, you gave me what I needed most. I want to do the same for you.” Then they dissipated into light and dark smoke leaving Dean standing there alone.

\----------------

Sam and Castiel return to the bar to drown their sorrows. Sam gets a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar and pours himself and Cas a glass.

“Sam, you know that alcohol doesn’t affect me?”

“I know, but this is a toast to my brother Dean.” Sam raises his glass and Cas does the same.

“To Dean.” They clink their glasses and then down the amber liquid.

“What the hell am I going to do now Cas?”

“What do you mean?”

“With my life, what’s left of it anyway. I don’t want to hunt, not without Dean. I didn’t want to hunt in the first place. That’s why I left to go to college.”

“Maybe you should think about finishing your studies. Go back to Law School.” Cas says.

“I don’t know. That was so long ago.”

“Well you don’t have to decide anything right now.”

“Yeah. You’re right. All I want to do now is drink away the pain and maybe get laid.”

Cas just looks at Sam and feels for him. He remembers his promise that he made to Dean, to look out for Sam and Diana. 

“Sam will you be OK, here by yourself. I just remembered something that I need to do.”

“Sure Cas. I’ll be fine.” he says looking around seeing that people have returned to the bar to celebrate. It amuses him that they don’t have any idea how close they all came to dying, but any excuse to party will do. Sam turns to tell Cas bye but he has already vanished. 

\-------------------

Diana cried herself to sleep after Dean left. She had a restless sleep although the nightmares didn’t return. Her dreams now were of her standing in front of a class at the university, then she drove home but not to her apartment. It was a two story house with a white picket fence and her dog, Penny was playing catch with a small boy in the yard. His brown hair and freckled face turned to see his mom and he smiled and ran to you as you got out of the car.

“Mommy. Look what I taught Penny to do.” He threw the ball and Penny ran to grab it in her mouth and then trotted back to the boy, dropping it at his feet.

“Ah, honey. That’s great.” you said tossling his hair and then petting Penny as well. 

“Where’s your father?”

“Inside in his office I think.” the boy said before running off with Penny close behind.

You walked in the house and set your briefcase down on the small hallway table that held the mail, keys, and other assorted items.

“I’m home.” you shouted.

The glass french doors opened and your husband came out to greet you. It was odd that when you looked at him he had no face. He had short brown hair just like your son, and you could tell that he was tall with a muscular build. 

“Hey, sweetheart.” he said, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek. His voice was deep and kind of gruff. It sounded familiar but you still couldn’t place it. You tried to speak but no words came out and suddenly you didn’t know your husband’s name. You awoke with a start. You were sprawled out on your bed, not in the usual way, but your head was at the foot of the bed. You blinked and recognized your apartment. You turned on the bed and repositioned yourself the right way collapsing back on your pillow. The musky scent on the pillow made you remember that Dean had come to tell you he loved you, but that he was leaving again and wouldn’t return. Your heart ached with the realization and the grief began all over again. You noticed that it was even darker than the last time you awoke. Was this it? Had Dean failed and the world was ending. You jumped up and ran into the living room and turned on the TV. A news channel reported that the crisis with the sun had been averted just as suddenly, without a clue as to what caused it to diminish, or to return to normal. Dean had obviously succeeded in destroying Amara and he paid the ultimate sacrifice as well. He was a hero but no one would ever know, except you and Sam.

Sam! You need to reach out to him. You found your phone and dialed his number but it went to voicemail. You left a message for him and asked that he call you. Maybe Sam had actually been with Dean and he was gone too. You were in a panic. Your only thought was going to the bunker.

\-----------------

With no transportation, Dean was forced to walk from the park. It was evening now and he walked along through some trees. He was trying to make his way back to the highway so that he could hitch a ride. Suddenly he heard a woman’s voice calling for help. He rushed toward the noise and came into a clearing. He saw a woman standing in a white nightgown. She was pretty and had long blond hair. He recognized her.

“Mom?”


End file.
